Bellingham sends a message to Modric, linked with a move to Inter Miami in MLS

He was not a 9, he did not come as a 9, but Jude Bellingham is becoming a goal scorer at the level of the deadliest forwards in Europe. The so-called midfielder has given Madrid seven points in LaLiga as well as the win against Union Berlin in the Champions League, showing that his role in the side is crucial beyond compare.

The 20-year-old Englishman scored again in Montilivi against Girona as Madrid thrashed the then-league leaders 0-3. He had to wait until the 71st minute, but his name appeared on the scoreboard once again. Before the goal, he had already managed an assist with the outside of his boot, a pass Modric would be proud of, for Joselu to put Los Blancos ahead in the match. Bellingham now has seven goals (six in the League and one in the Champions League) this season.

Bellingham’s goalscoring rate is through the roof at Madrid

In a Madrid team that have at time struggled to find the net, Bellingham has a clinical touch. In the nine games played this season, the Englishman has only needed 22 attempts to score 7 goals.

His conversion rate in LaLiga and Champions League is 31.82%. For comparison, Rodrygo, a player struggling in front of goal, has only scored once despite having 34 shots while Joselu has needed 32 attempts to score four goals. And among the other five players who have contributed a goal, only Brahim comes close to Bellingham’s effectiveness. The man from Málaga, who scored against Las Palmas, has found the net three times in his 108 minutes of play.

Jude more effective than Mbappé and Haaland

If we broaden the range to not only include the Spanish League but all of Europe’s five major competitions, Bellingham ranks among the best goal scorers on the continent. Until this Saturday, 42 players had scored at least four goals so far this season in the championships of Spain, England, Italy, Germany and France.

At first glance, Bellingham goes unnoticed: he is in 16th place in terms of effectiveness, with six goals from 18 shots in the League (33.3%), but his percentage is above players like Mbappé (7 goals from 26 shots, 26.9%) or Haaland (8 goals from 32 attempts, 25%).

The most effective marksman in Europe is Abdón Prats, with 4 goals coming from just 6 shots (66.7%). In the Spanish League, only the Mallorca player, Morata and Kubo are more effective than Madrid’s top scorer in front of goal.

What is Bellingham’s record number of goals?

Less than two months of competition time in Spain have been enough for Bellingham to turn put his numbers second best in his entire career. Last year he stopped at 14 goals... Jude, you’re already halfway there.

And it is not only on the goals front where he stands out. Against Girona, Bellingham was the team’s third-best passer, with a success rate of 97.8% (44 of 45 passes), and 13 passes he made into the final third of the field found a teammate. In the eight games he has played for Real Madrid, Bellingham has not dropped below 80% passing accuracy.

The message to Modric - is he going to Miami?

Modric was the person that inspired Bellingham for his assist to Joselu. “I’ve been watching how Modric does it for three months,” Jude explained to Real Madrid TV, where he thanked the Croatian for his ‘lessons’ with a wink on social media.

In one of the stories he published on Instagram after the game, Bellingham posted a photo of himself getting on the plane alongside Modric, accompanied by a winking emoji. A loving gesture for Modric who watched the game from the bench in Montilivi and has rumours swirling around his head of a future in Miami.