Jude Bellingham said he expected to be “anonymous” at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup in the United States – only Real Madrid’s “incredible” level of support to include fans who boarded the scaffolding in hopes of seeing it inside the team bus.
Madrid faced Paris Saint-Germain in the semifinals of the expansion Wednesday (20:00 BST) game, returning to the Metropolitan Life Stadium in New Jersey, where more than 76,000 supporters watched them beat Dortmund-Bellingham-Bellingham’s former club – 3-2 in the first eight games.
“It’s weird because you think you can go to those cities in the United States and no one will know who you are,” Bellingham told Madrid’s website.
“You will be able to walk around the hotel or the city and be anonymous, but… when we were in New York, someone was scaffolding outside the hotel and trying to see what was happening on the bus. It was incredible, the race was crazy.”
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Jude Bellingham: Madrid’s place of appearance
Bellingham will be eleven days after his 22nd birthday if Madrid makes 100 appearances, if he wins his sixth match against the European Championship.
“I want to continue to achieve huge goals,” said Laliga and the Spanish Super Cup champion.
“To help the team win the remaining two games, please bring the trophy to Madrid and continue to keep the club’s greatness going on.
“The expectation is huge because it’s the biggest club in the world, but I love all of this and I certainly want to be a part of it.”
Jude Bellingham: Madrid’s position is “different”
In addition to Dortmund, Madrid and Bellingham beat Pachuca – so did Salzburg and Juventus since opening a draw with Al-Hilal in a very lucrative match.
“It’s different because in every match, I’m lucky to be able to tactically analyze how I play,” the two-time Euro Finals finalists reflected.
“I play different roles in the same game. When I have the ball, I take on defensive responsibilities and other responsibilities. Each game is a different opportunity to play.
“When I’m on the team table, I love it and find out where to go.
“One of my strengths is that I can play in different positions and I love how the coaches see it in me. I can play any role for them.”
Xabi Alonso: Madrid’s “good place”
Bellingham praised new manager Xabi Alonso, who replaced Carlo Ancelotti before the club’s World Cup.
Alonso won every major domestic match and midfielder in the 2013/14 Champions League between 2009 and 2014.
Espanyol won the Bundesliga title in its first management position and won the German Award of the Year in 2024 with former Club Leverkusen.
“We are a helpful team, especially with new ideas and new passions in new coaches and his coaching staff,” Bellingham said. “We are in a great place and I’m enjoying this new stage.”
Jude Bellingham Statistics
Former Birmingham City prodigy Bellingham joined Dortmund for £25m in 2020 and is the Bundesliga player this season in 2023/24.
He ranked third in the Ballon d’Or and FIFA best votes in 2024, and he joined Madrid in June 2023 with an initial £88.5million, contributing 23 goals and 10 assists in 42 matches in his first campaign.
These numbers helped Bellingham win the season award Lariga player, despite scoring eight goals in 2024/25, while matching that help.
England made Bellingham the third largest debut ever when it beat Ireland 3-0 in November 2020 in a 3-0 victory over Ireland at Wembley Stadium.
Bellingham quickly established himself as a starter after representing his country’s youth level and scored six goals in 44 senior international appearances, including an overhead kick against Slovakia in the 95th minute to get England to beat part of Slovakia 2-1 after the last 16 joining time.
Real Madrid FIFA Club World Cup 2025 Fixtures, Timetable, Results
Real Madrid hopes to join their previous five wins in the modern game, one of 32 teams participating in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup.
Los Blancos is the most successful team in the club’s World Cup history, winning in 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2022, with seven teams in each game.
This is their latest fixture and result.
Semi-finals
Wednesday, July 9
Madrid vs PSG (New Jersey, 20:00)
Quarter Finals
Madrid 3-2 Dortmund (New Jersey)
16 rounds
Tuesday, July 1
Real Madrid 1-0 Juventus (Miami)
Group stage
Wednesday, June 18
Real Madrid 1-1 Al-Hilal (Miami)
Sunday, June 22
Group H: Real Madrid 3-1 Pachuca (Charlotte)
Friday, June 27
Salzburg 0-3 Real Madrid (Philadelphia)
Real Madrid Club World Cup Team
goalkeeper: Courois, Lunin, Fran Gonzalez, Sergio Mestre
Defenders: Carvajal, Militao, Alaba, Alexander-Arnold, Lucas Vazquez, Fran Garcia, Rudiger, Mendy, Mendy, Huijsen, Youssef, Jacobo, Asencio, Asencio, Fortea, Fortea, Diego Aguado
Midfielder: Bellingham, Cam Kavga, Valverde, Modric, Tchouameni, Arda Guler, Ceballos, Chema, Victor Munoz, Mario Martin
forward: Vinicius JR, Mbappe, Rodrygo, Endrick, Brahim, Gonzalo
Club World Cup Real Madrid: Live broadcast, British TV channel
The live coverage of 40 games is DAZN, with 23 on Channel 5. DAZN subscribers or freemium members can be adjusted as part of their existing membership, while non-subscribers can sign up for a free account to start watching.
Fans can watch on the go with the DAZN app on smart TVs, phones, tablets, gaming consoles and streaming devices.
