"Messi was never this good", "Better than Zizou" - Fans hail Real Madrid superstar despite defeat to Atletico in Copa del Rey last 16

Jude Bellingham has been compared to Lionel Messi and Zinedine Zidane by fans after his performance in Real Madrid's 4-2 loss to Atletico Madrid in the Copa del Rey.

Bellingham continues to light up La Liga following his blockbuster move to the Santiago Bernabeu this past summer. That was again the case tonight (January 18) albeit during Los Blancos' disastrous Round of 16 defeat in the Madrid derby.

The English superstar gave Atleti all sorts of problems with his silky footwork and powerful presence. He made four key passes, found his man with all three long ball attempts, and won 11 of 18 ground duels.

Bellingham set up Joselu for Real Madrid's second equalizer of the night in the 82nd minute. He produced a sensational cross from the left flank that the Spaniard headed home.

That would be in vain as Atleti eventually won 4-2 in extra time thanks in part to a remarkable goal from Antoine Griezmann. But, that didn't take away from another excellent performance from Los Blancos' newest superstar.

One fan made a bold claim about Bellingham being superior to Barcelona great Messi:

"Messi was never this good."

Another fan even thinks the England international is bettering Los Blancos icon Zidane:

"Better than Zizou."

Here's how fans on X (formerly Twitter) reacted to Bellingham's latest stunning showing in his side's loss to their Madrid rivals:

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Real Madrid superstar Jude Bellingham claimed Lionel Messi deserved to win the 2023 Ballon d'Or

Real Madrid's Jude Bellingham won last year's Kopa Trophy.

Lionel Messi won his eighth record-extending Ballon d'Or last October, beating the likes of Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe to the award. The Argentine icon was recognized for his extraordinary 2022 FIFA World Cup campaign in which he bagged seven goals and three assists in seven games.

However, there was much debate about whether Messi deserved the award over Bellingham's former Borussia Dortmund teammate Haaland. The Norweigan had enjoyed a groundbreaking start to life at Manchester City. He won the Premier League's Golden Boot (36 goals in 35 games) and finished as top scorer in the UEFA Champions League (12 in 11).

Bellingham gave his take on who deserved to win the Ballon d'Or heading into the awards ceremony. He sided with the World Cup winner alluding to that tournament in Qatar (via The Mirror):

"It's World Cup year and Lionel Messi had a fantastic World Cup, he deserves to win the Ballon d'Or."

It was a memorable night for Real Madrid's newest superstar as he won the coveted Kopa trophy. He was recognized for his superb past season at Borussia Dortmund in which he posted 14 goals and seven assists in 42 games across competitions, winning the Bundesliga Player of the Year award.