Jude Bellingham has matched Lionel Messi's Champions League goal contributions tally for players aged 21 and under against Red Bull Salzburg, but he is still short of Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland.
Real Madrid beat Salzburg 5-1 on Wednesday night in the Champions League, with Rodrygo and Vinicius Junior both scoring braces against the Austrian side.
The result secured Los Blancos a round of 16 playoff spot and has brought boss Carlo Ancelotti some respite after he faced scrutiny for his side's struggles in Europe this term.
Bellingham managed to assist both of Rodrygo's goals in the first half and in doing so saw his Champions League goal contributions tally rise to 24 - 11 goals and 13 assists - despite being just 21 years old.
At the same age, Messi produced 17 goals and seven assists for Barcelona in Europe's Premier competition, though both fall short of Haaland and Mbappe, who provided 37 and 26 goal contributions respectively before turning 22.
© Imago
The numbers behind Bellingham's remarkable career
Bellingham has faced significantly more criticism so far this season than he did in 2023-24, with the midfielder having averaged 0.48 goals per 90 in La Liga, significantly less than the 0.74 he managed last campaign.
A drop-off in regard to output was perhaps inevitable given Los Blancos have struggled with injuries this term and have also struggled to integrate Mbappe into their attacking setup.
However, the England midfielder has still produced nine goals and nine assists for his club in 2024-25, and his 18 goal contributions are just three fewer than Mbappe despite playing over 200 fewer minutes than the Frenchman.
The 21-year-old has now scored 32 goals and provided 22 assists in just 70 matches in all competitions for Real, and it should be remembered that he has done so from midfield.
Bellingham has also covered the most distance in the Champions League of any player in Ancelotti's squad and has recorded the second-highest speed of any midfielder at the club in Europe.
If Real Madrid are to retain their European crown, they will be need the Englishman to be at his very best, especially as Los Blancos may have to compete in a two-legged round of 16 playoff tie.
There is still a chance that Bellingham's side could qualify automatically for the round of 16 given they are just one point from the top eight with one game remaining, but they will need results to go their way in order to do so.
Lewis Nolan
