Bellingham: “We're feeling confident and we trust in ourselves”

Jude Bellingham spoke at the press conference ahead of the clash between Manchester City and Real Madrid and the midfielder analysed the return leg of the Champions League quarter-finals (Wednesday 9pm CEST): “I'm looking forward to the game tomorrow. These are the games you join Real Madrid for, I can't wait to get out and get playing.”
 
“They are treble winners, an amazing team. But that is the impression from the outside. I don't go to the bookies, so I don't see the favourites, but we are a pretty good team ourselves. We are Real Madrid and we have wonderful players. We trust in ourselves and the ability in the changing room.”

Racism behaviour towards Tchouameni
“In matches you're so used to this that I didn't know that this incident with Tchouameni had happened. It's a serious problem. More needs to be done, whether punishments or how you react proactively. It's horrible and it shouldn’t happen.
 
“The people in power need to do more. Especially with Vini Jr. in recent years. With Vini, the blame gets shifted on to him because of how he plays, how he expresses himself. The game will miss Vini if he were not here. More needs to be done to support these players. No one deserves this kind of abuse. This is a call out to the powers to do something. You just have to play your game and hope people look after you.”
 
On his personal season
“I think I started playing really well in the first half, until January, when we won the Super Cup. The main thing that killed my rhythm was the injury against Girona, when you can still feel odd bits of pain. I overcame the pain in my ankle, I played against Valencia and I scored a goal that for me was valid and it was disallowed. I have to be more responsible in those reactions, but it did affect my rhythm. I was playing simply and I was very clear about what I had to do, but in the last two months my role in the team has changed. It's small things that I've had to adjust to. Working a bit more for the team, which I don't mind, but maybe I'm losing a bit of efficiency on the pitch. I'm going to try to get it back, I'm confident. I don't mind the criticism.”

On playing abroad
“I'm very grateful. Every time I wear this badge on my chest it's a wonderful feeling and I'll never tire of it. I played at Dortmund for four years. It's not normal for English players to play abroad, but you learn a lot and I can use this experience for myself in the national team. Maybe I wouldn't have had so many opportunities. A big thank you to my parents. Playing abroad is a good idea for young English players. I hope I'm proving that.”

Goals
“What would make me anxious is if the team doesn't win if I don't score. If the team keeps winning, I feel comfortable. My game is about more than scoring goals. I want to add different skills to my game. Obviously, I want to score goals, I love to do that. When you get into that rhythm you don't want to stop, but I can have more impact on the game in different ways. I didn't expect to score so many goals here, but I want to keep taking responsibility and scoring more. I'm not one to set myself targets. I wanted to kick off with one goal and I've now scored 20. I hope I can score a lot more.”

The match ahead
“We hope we can win, that's the first thing. Everything else comes second. The team has to play well, and if I can contribute that would be wonderful. I want to be effective and have a big impact on the game, work hard, help defensively and offensively, and try to help us go through. It's going to be a really tough game, but we're a great team too and we have to show our qualities.”

Last year's elimination
“I spoke to some of the guys who played last year and they say it wasn't a good feeling, it was really tough. I've experienced tough defeats myself, but you have to ease that emotion and understand that it's a new game. You don't start 4-0 down. We have to be brave and play. The guys have talked a bit about it but they're all in professional mode.”

Key points for the match
“One of their strengths is their unpredictability. You focus on one player, but they have 10 more who can cause you problems. There's no point in thinking individually. We have to attack and defend as a team. We have to work strategically. We have to be brave and ready to play our game. We have to make adjustments, but it's important to stick to our game plan.”

On his role in the team
“There have been some changes, it's normal, there have been a lot of injuries and the team has to adapt. It's normal for the coach to make changes. It has worked, that's the important thing. I've shown that I can play in different positions. It's not about choosing a place in the team. Sometimes it's small things that take me a while to get used to, but you have to use your experience, like in the first leg.”

Is Ancelotti the coach who has got the most out of him?
“I think he is. That would be fair to say. A good coach makes you believe even better than you thought before. He gives me that confidence every day, the freedom to express myself on the pitch. He's also a really good person. It was a big change for me and he's been able to adapt and understand my potential. It's my first time playing as a number 10. I'm very grateful to him.”

Adaptation
“I spoke to many clubs at Dortmund, my family helped me process the information. But when Madrid called me, I didn't think twice. The size of the club, the vision for the future, the opportunity to play with some great players. That's why I made the decision. My adjustment has been great thanks to the team, the coaching staff and the people you don't see behind the scenes. The teammates and also the fans. I'm very grateful for the great welcome from Real Madrid and the city.”

Vini Jr. and Rodrygo
“We have a very good relationship with all the guys in general. The more experienced ones and the younger ones. When we link up with Vini and Rodrygo it's wonderful. They make our job easier, they're very modest and hard-working. Let's hope we can continue like this, scoring goals and winning games for many years to come, starting tomorrow."