When Jude Bellingham beat Cristiano Ronaldo’s goals record at the start of last season for Real Madrid, he was not the only one getting the credit — Carlo Ancelotti was hailed as a tactical genius for facilitating that incredible scoring run.
Ancelotti had seen enough of Bellingham at Dortmund, and in pre-season at Madrid, to know that he had the power, timing, intelligence and technique to rack up the goals if his natural starting position allowed him to be closer to goal than he would be as an orthodox midfielder.
By the end of November, Bellingham had scored 14 goals in his first 15 games — Ronaldo scored 13 in his first 15. And the England man had not just trumped the club’s all-time record scorer, he had outdone the legendary Alfredo di Stefano and Raul.
Karim Benzema’s shock departure to Saudi Arabia in the same summer that Bellingham arrived prompted Ancelotti to play the Englishman so high up the pitch.
Benzema’s exit deprived Ancelotti of his leading striker and there was nobody ready to fill the void. Real were still a year away from signing France superstar Kylian Mbappe.
By the end of November 2023, the Three Lions star had scored 14 goals in his first 15 games
Benzema was not an orthodox No 9, with his movement allowing wingers Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo to pop up in the same position. Ancelotti saw that Bellingham could do something similar but with a twist.
He played at the top of a midfield diamond with the two Brazilians ahead of him as wide forwards. And whereas Benzema had started at centre forward and would drift into other areas, Bellingham began as an attacking midfielder but would arrive at the right time to find the net.
There were times when he found himself too far forward, with his back to goal, and no space to attack, but he still finished with 23 goals. This season he is yet to score, in large part because his remit is no longer to get into the penalty area.
Without the retired Toni Kroos in midfield, Ancelotti believes Bellingham can better serve Mbappe by driving from deep, as he did so well for Dortmund. But that is not to say the Italian has lost faith in Bellingham’s ability to come up with a goal or two.