Jude Bellingham was influenced by Vinicius Junior to pick Real Madrid over Liverpool.
Vinicius Junior claimed that Jude Bellingham and him had been “texting for months” in an effort to persuade Jude Bellingham to choose Real Madrid over Liverpool.
Everyone is aware of how the tale ended, but at one point it appeared Bellingham might be the centrepiece of Jurgen Klopp’s revamped Liverpool midfield.
Few options existed for the Birmingham City academy product after Anfield’s management determined that a transfer was not financially feasible due to the other engine room repairs that needed to be made. Nevertheless, it was disappointing to lose out once again to the Spanish club, which has recently defeated the Reds twice in Champions League finals, won the race for Aurelien Tchouameni last year, and could do the same with Kylian Mbappe in 2024.
After months of rumours and conjecture, club legends clamouring for the deal to be completed, and even Trent Alexander-Arnold and Jordan Henderson developing a strong bond with the youngster while serving on the international team, the top target was ultimately acquired by Real Madrid.
Although it turns out that players other than Liverpool’s current vice captain and former captain were also actively involved in the transfer’s backroom intrigue. Vinicius Jr. in particular was making an effort to persuade the 20-year-old to join the Santiago Bernabeu.
Even though it is true that he had never spoken to his future teammate in person, the Brazilian delivered the decisive punch in Paris in 2022, and he repeated it there.
According to Vinicius, “I didn’t know Bellingham but I knew that other teams wanted him so I texted him,” Fabrizio Romano of L’Equipe reports. “I communicated by SMS for months, encouraging Real to be the best club in the world, just like I did with [Eduardo] Camavinga.
“Juni Calafat [Real Madrid’s chief scout] knows that if I can help him, I will.”
Naturally, the Englishman ended up to Los Blancos, who eventually paid Borussia Dortmund £114 million after receiving £88 million. Since then, he has put up 10 goals and three assists in 10 outings, which is the best start in Real Madrid history.
The immediate impact of the four midfield additions, especially Dominik Szoboszlai, made in the place of the England international, with more possibly on the way, has lessened Liverpool’s disappointment at missing out.