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Carlo Ancelotti said Jude Bellingham‘s personality is the reason he has adapted so quickly to life at Real Madrid, adding “it means an important shirt like Real Madrid’s doesn’t weigh so much.”
Bellingham is the top scorer in LaLiga with five goals from four games this season and he also starred for England in their 3-1 win over Scotland in midweek.
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The midfielder’s goals have ensured Madrid have taken maximum points so far and top the table ahead of Sunday’s match with Real Sociedad at the Bernabeu.
“Good players with personality suffer a bit less than the others,” Ancelotti said in a news conference on Saturday, when asked to explain the speed of his adaptation.
“There’s no other reason. A player with personality above all, more than quality, means that an important shirt like Real Madrid’s doesn’t weigh so much.”
Ancelotti said he wasn’t concerned about Bellingham being distracted by praise for his performances.
“Bellingham is being assessed right now based on what he’s doing on the pitch, and he’s doing well,” he added. “Maybe he wasn’t as well-known because he played in Germany, he didn’t have the role he has now, playing for an important club in an important league.
“He’s a player who’s very focused, very serious, very professional. He’s not someone who could lose his head if someone speaks well of him.”
Bellingham’s goals have helped Madrid cope without Vinícius Júnior, after the forward picked up a thigh injury in their 1-0 win at Celta Vigo on Aug. 25.
The team are now entering a busy period, with the Real Sociedad game followed by a Champions League group game against Union Berlin on Wednesday, and then a derby with Atletico Madrid on Sept. 24.
“I can’t give a precise day [for Vinicius’ return],” Ancelotti said. “He’s recovering very well. We won’t force his recovery, but the tear is almost completely [healed]… Next week he’ll start to do some work with the team and we’ll see. I think he’ll be back sooner than the six weeks that was said.”
Ancelotti joked that he’d found Vinicius “crying in the dressing room” after the Brazil international was left off the shortlist for FIFA’s The Best award this week.
“He was very sad,” Ancelotti said, smiling. “He was crying for three or four hours. We couldn’t stop him.”