Real Madrid winger Vinicius Junior has compared Jude Bellingham's new-found influence at the Santiago Bernabeu to that once held by Cristiano Ronaldo.
Ronaldo cemented his legacy as one of the greatest players of all time during his nine years in Madrid, during which he netted 450 goals in just 438 games and won the team countless points.
Five years after Ronaldo's departure and Madrid have another superstar scoring goals at a ludicrous rate. Bellingham's two-goal haul in Saturday's victory over Barcelona took his return to 13 goals in 13 games, and Vinicius could not help but compare the two stars.
"Incredible, [Bellingham] always makes a difference," he told reporters after El Clasico. "The fans were used to Cristiano and Jude has now arrived for us.
"We are a lot of young players, we are always together on and off the field. This creates unity and makes us a good team that wants to improve and win a lot of things."
Vinicius wasn't the only Madrid teammate to be waxing lyrical about Bellingham after the game, with veteran midfielder Luka Modric confessing he was running out of words to describe the England international.
"I don't know how to explain Jude," he said. "It seems like he's been here for a long time, not just three months. He's fallen on his feet, as you say in Spain.
"He's starting off well because of his performance, his personality and how he is as a boy. It's not a coincidence, because he's a top kid and an extraordinary talent. He doesn't even believe the goals he's scored and now he can't stop."
Bellingham himself admitted that he had done "something special" in the derby, having now bettered Zinedine Zidane's best single-season goalscoring return for Madrid after just 13 games.
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This article was originally published on 90min as Vinicius Junior makes Cristiano Ronaldo claim about Jude Bellingham after El Clasico heroics.
