Real Madrid News
Official: Real Madrid ace Jude Bellingham wins the Golden Boy 2023 Award
It is official. Real Madrid rising star Jude Bellingham has won the Golden Boy Award for the year 2023.
The 20-year-old England international has already pocketed the Kopa Trophy at the Ballon d’Or ceremony earlier this year.
Now, he has added another prestigious honour to his individual collection with the Golden Boy Award being awarded to him.
Bellingham finished with a total of 485 points out of a maximum of 500, with 97% of the votes, showing how clear he was of the competition.
The prize is more than well-deserved for Bellingham after the sensational year he has had first at Borussia Dortmund and then with Real Madrid.
JUDE BELLINGHAM is Golden Boy Absolute Best! @realmadrid #Goldenboy #Goldenboy2023 #football pic.twitter.com/VXIMAjlDED
— Golden Boy (@GoldenBoyAwards) November 17, 2023
The midfield sensation almost led the Black and Yellows to the Bundesliga title last season before securing a mega-money move to Real Madrid in the summer window.
Since joining the Merengues, Bellingham has easily been among the best in the game over the past few months, leading Real Madrid’s charge on multiple fronts.
In 14 games this season, the Englishman has scored 13 goals and set up three more, enjoying a dream start to life in the Spanish capital.
Having won the Golden Boy and the Kopa Trophy this year, Bellingham will now set his sights on the big prize, the Ballon d’Or in the coming years, for which he will need to help Real Madrid to great success.
Meanwhile, Real Madrid Femenino’s Linda Caicedo went on to win the Golden Girl Absolute Best award.
Real Madrid News
Mourinho reacts to Vinicius suspension: “Why announce it two hours before an important match?”
Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho has questioned the RFEF Disciplinary Committee’s decision to announce Vinicius Jr.’s four-match suspension just hours before their UEFA Champions League meeting with AS Roma on Wednesday.
The Brazilian has been hit with a four-match ban for his red card against Villarreal, meaning he will miss the matches against Sevilla, Barcelona, Racing Santander, and Valencia.
And, speaking to Movistar+ (h/t MARCA) before the match, the Real Madrid manager was asked whether the punishment could affect the Brazilian psychologically.
Mourinho instead turned his attention to the football authorities and the timing of their announcement.
“I think that is a question for the Committee. Why have they announced the suspension at this particular moment? If you are asking me this question, it is presumably because you think it could affect him,” the Portuguese coach replied.
“You should ask the Committee why they did not announce it this morning, or tomorrow morning. Why do they do it two hours before a match that is important for Real Madrid, which is a Spanish club?” he added, questioning the timing of the decision.
Mourinho explains his tactical approach against Roma
The Real Madrid manager also outlined his plan for facing a Roma side known for their aggressive pressing.
“My intention is to stop them from pressing us so high up the pitch, given the players we have available and as a precaution,” he said.
Continuing, the Portuguese manager added: “They press man-to-man higher up the pitch better than anyone else, and we will see whether we can take advantage of that. If not, they will have to drop their press five or ten metres.”
Why Rudiger over Huijsen
Mourinho also justified his decision to start Antonio Rudiger at centre-back alongside Ibrahima Konate rather than Dean Huijsen.
“They played very well together in the last match, Rudiger and Konate, showing great leadership and the ability to withstand a difficult situation when we had ten men for 30 minutes,” he said.
“I am not saying Dean is not capable of playing a match like this, but this is a wonderful atmosphere for Roma and a difficult one for us. I think a player with Antonio’s experience can be important,” Mourinho added.
Finally, Mourinho was asked about his emotions ahead of returning to face Roma, the club he managed between 2021 and 2024.
The Portuguese coach offered a brief response, saying that he had his feelings about the occasion “blocked”.
