Jude Bellingham: Rafa Benitez Weighs In on Real Madrid Paying €100 Million for England Star

• Rafael Benitez says if Real Madrid pays €100 million for a player, he has to be good
• Jude Bellingham was Madrid's marquee signing this summer, and the club paid €103 million to acquire his services
• The Englishman is one of the most exciting players in world football

Jude Bellingham is one of the most exciting footballers in the world; that's why Real Madrid paid €103 million, a fee that could potentially rise up to €133.9 million for his services.

He has made a phenomenal start to his La Liga season. In just two matches, he has scored three goals. Ex-Real Madrid manager Rafael Benitez has said his former club paid that amount because the young Englishman was good.

Benitez's Celta Vigo face Madrid on Friday night. It will be the first time he faces his former club after he was fired in 2016 by Florentino Perez. His connection to Los Blancos runs much deeper than those six forgettable months.

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Celta Vigo have had a shaky start to the 2023/24 season. They lost their opening game to Osasuna, but they held Real Sociedad to a draw away from home in their last game. However, things won't get easy as Bellingham and Madrid will be looking for their third straight win on Friday night.

Benitez on Bellingham

The Bellingham transfer was confirmed in June. The 20-year-old left Borussia Dortmund after three seasons and was named Bundesliga Player of the Year in the most recent campaign, per Eurosport.

Benitez said he knows Bellingham well, and when Madrid pays €100 million for a player, he has to be good.

“I have friends in Birmingham and I knew his brother, who has now gone to Sunderland, and we followed his career. He was a player who was already seen to have great potential. When you pay a hundred-odd million for a player, he has to be good,” he said, per Mundo Deportivo.

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Madrid have slowly replaced their ageing midfield of Casemiro, Toni Kroos and Luka Modric with Bellingham, Aurélien Tchouameni and Eduardo Camavinga. The trio could usher in another era of dominance.

Dortmund, Bellingham clear the air

Sports Brief also reported on Borussia Dortmund sporting director, Sebastian Kehl, stating that he does not think Bellingham was being critical of Dortmund with his comments about the high standards at Real Madrid.

The Englishman made 132 appearances for the Bundesliga side, scoring 24 goals and assisting in a further 25, but Kehl said the statement was likely not meant as a dig at Bellingham's former team or his time with them.