Jude Bellingham stayed behind near the dressing room after everyone else had left to secure the shirt of a Liverpool star.
After Real Madrid’s 2-0 defeat at Anfield, Jude Bellingham waited outside Liverpool’s dressing room to request a shirt from a Reds star.
In a match where Kylian Mbappe and Mohamed Salah both missed penalties, Liverpool climbed to the top of their Champions League group with goals from Alexis Mac Allister and Cody Gakpo. The Reds remain the only team in the competition with a perfect record, securing 15 points from five matches.
Defending champions Real Madrid, however, are now down in 24th place in the rankings with three group games left.
Bellingham, who was previously linked with Liverpool, made his debut against the six-time European champions and had a special request after the game. Cameras in the Anfield tunnel caught him and some Real Madrid youngsters chatting with Ryan Gravenberch as he headed back to the dressing room. Gravenberch soon returned with the shirt of Bellingham’s England teammate and close friend, Trent Alexander-Arnold, who had been on the bench during the match.
Bellingham, who exchanged his own match shirt, walked back to Real’s dressing room holding Alexander-Arnold’s jersey. The Liverpool right-back recently recovered from a hamstring injury but did not feature in the game, with Conor Bradley stepping in and delivering a standout performance, including a crucial tackle on Mbappe.
Alexander-Arnold, whose contract expires in the summer, has been linked with a move to Real Madrid, where Bellingham joined in 2023. Asked about the possibility of Alexander-Arnold joining him in Spain during the pre-match press conference, Bellingham dismissed the speculation, saying, “I’ll be by his side with the national team, so that’s guaranteed. He’s a Liverpool player, and talking about the future is disrespectful.”
Liverpool now shift focus to a crucial Premier League clash against Manchester City on Sunday at Anfield, with Arne Slot’s side aiming to extend their lead at the top of the table to 11 points.
