Jude Bellingham matches David Beckham stat at Real Madrid – in half a season in Spain
Jude Bellingham's brace for Real Madrid against Girona on Saturday saw the midfielder make it to 20 goals for Los Blancos
Jude Bellingham has reached 20 goals for the season with his double for Real Madrid against Girona on Saturday – and drawn level with former England great David Beckham.
Bellingham scored Madrid's second goal after 35 minutes in the top-of-the-table clash at the Santiago Bernabeu and made it 3-0 early in the second half as Los Blancos ran riot against second-placed Girona.
The England midfielder's first of the evening was his 19th of the season and his second made it 20 for the campaign already.
His brace on Saturday means he has scored 20 goals in just 29 appearances since his summer move from Borussia Dortmund.
And his two goals see him draw level with former England captain Beckham, who scored 20 in 155 appearances for Los Blancos across four seasons at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Beckham was a popular player with Madrid fans, but the midfielder's time at the club was difficult and he won just one Supercopa and one La Liga title in his four years in the Spanish capital – at the very beginning and at the end of his spell at the club.
Vinicius Junior had given Real Madrid the lead against Girona with a spectacular strike from outside the box inside six minutes and after Bellingham's two goals, Rodrygo made it 4-0 just after the hour mark.
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Having started the day two points ahead of Girona at the top of the table, Madrid now move five clear of the Catalan club.
And third-placed Barcelona can move to within two points of Girona with a win against Granada on Sunday.
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Jude Bellingham ahead of Zinedine Zidane and Luis Figo? A former team-mate of the Real Madrid legends has explained how the England midfielder has the edge on the Frenchman and the Portuguese.
Meanwhile, it has been claimed that Bellingham rejected Manchester United because the Red Devils were unable to guarantee him first-team football at Old Trafford.
And following his heroics in El Clasico for Real Madrid recently, the England midfielder has been compared to Los Blancos legend Cristiano Ronaldo.
Ben Hayward is a European football writer and Tottenham Hotspur fan with over 15 years’ experience, he has covered games all over the world - including three World Cups, several Champions League finals, Euros, Copa America - and has spent much of that time in Spain. Ben speaks English and Spanish, currently dividing his time between Barcelona and London, covering all the big talking points of the weekend on FFT: he’s also written several list features and interviewed Guglielmo Vicario for the magazine.