“He is going for it” – Real Madrid hero says Jude Bellingham is ahead of 3 players in race to win Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi’s throne

The illustrious football throne once shared between giants Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi is up for grabs. And, if Real Madrid legend Guti is to be believed, Jude Bellingham is leading the charge, surging ahead of other notable talents like Vinicius Junior, Kylian Mbappe, and Erling Haaland.

Guti, whose exceptional career with Real Madrid spanned from 1995 to 2010, recently shared his insights on the program 'El Chiringuito'. The 46-year-old shed light on Bellingham's emerging dominance in Spain (via Marca):

"Real Madrid loves Bellingham so much because he did want to come to Real Madrid. After the controversy that has been with another player... "

While Vinicius, Mbappe, and Haaland were frontrunners to seize the mantle from Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, it seems Bellingham has now announced his arrival alongside them. Guti's sentiment captured this:

"Bellingham is playing games that are incredible. It was the throne of Vinicius, Mbappe, Haaland... But Bellingham is the only one who has realized that the throne of Messi and Cristiano is free... and goes for him."

Though it remains to be seen whether Bellingham will successfully ascend to such heights, the buzz surrounding him is understandable. In La Liga, he has scored eight goals and provided two assists in just eight appearances this season.

Erling Haaland has similar returns, with eight goals and one assist in eight Premier League games. Kylian Mbappe has seven goals in seven Ligue 1 games, while Vinicius Junior has two goals and one assist in six La Liga games.

---

Throwback to Jose Mourinho's insightful take on Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo era

The perpetual debate about who reigns supreme between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo has fascinated fans, players, and managers for well over a decade. Backtracking to 2019, when the debate was just as heated, Jose Mourinho, took a different approach.

In an engaging conversation on 'On the Touchline with Jose Mourinho', he heaped praise on both footballing maestros (via Sport Bible):

“I think they are lucky and unlucky to be in the same generation. They are lucky because they can compete against each other. They look to each other in a positive way and get extra motivation. If there was only one of them, they would have ten Golden Boots.”

The legendary manager then aptly commented on the bar Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have set:

"Now, I think they have put the bar really high. And you have the players coming behind, who I like to call the 'little monsters.' The bar has to be high, so it has to be incredible motivation for Neymar, [Kylian] Mbappe and [Antoine] Griezmann. Unfortunately, Cristiano and Messi will not last forever.“

Messi has now moved to Inter Miami, where he has already won a trophy. Ronaldo has opted for a stint in the Middle East, playing for Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia.