Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has become lyrical about Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham and jokes that it would not be possible for a 17-year-old to be that good.
City battled Bellingham’s Dortmund side in the Champions League quarter-finals, but the teenager made his presence known with two excellent performances. He got a goal wrongly rejected in the first stage before beating Dortmund’s only goal in the return match.
What a finish from Jude Bellingham! ?
It’s his first #UCL goal and it’s so complex for a 17 year old …? pic.twitter.com/vMoYMmWcXJ
– Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) April 14, 2021
His latest appearance meant that he only became the second player to beat ten matches in Europe’s top competition before turning 18, and after the match, Guardiola admitted that he was lost for words when he looked at Bellingham.
“Maybe he’s a liar!” Guardiola joked (via The Independent) when asked about Bellingham’s ability as a 17-year-old. “He’s so good for 17 years old, I can not believe it. He’s a great player.
“It was a moment when he did not get the ball from the central defenders, how he shouts and demands that the ball to him means 17 a lot.
“I talked to his boss, Edin [Terzic], and he told me what you see in these two games is like every workout. They have an enormous talent. ”
Guardiola was in reverence for Bellingham | BSR Agency / Getty Images
While Bellingham’s potential was never in doubt, he faced many concerns last summer from fans who felt he was not ready to play for Dortmund, given that he only had a year of championship football with Birmingham City under his belt.
It is safe to say that Bellingham has shown that his doubters are wrong, and in an interview with BT Sport he was keen to remind critics of how far he has come.
“Not bad for a championship player, is it?” he joked. “I think I have taken every match in my step, I had a bit of a tough start at Lazio and since then I think all my best performances in BVB colors have come in the Champions League, including tonight.
The top and bottom of football. So proud to be a part of this club, with these teammates. ?? # JB22 pic.twitter.com/T4QVTiFoco
– Jude Bellingham (@BellinghamJude) April 14, 2021
“For me it’s brilliant to play in this competition and for this club, it’s a huge honor, so I can take a little bit away from it and learn from it, but I’m still tired of not making it.
Dortmund boss Terzic added: “The only thing we do not know about Jude is his limit. He has so much potential, so much talent, and he’s a great, good boy who wants to improve. This is what we need to find out, where is the border, and we will try to push him to the border. Tonight the whole world saw what he could do. ”
