BELL OF THE BALL
Jude Bellingham rubs shoulders with Tom Brady and Usain Bolt before lifting Breakthrough prize at Laureus Awards
He is still targeting more honours in 2024
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JUDE BELLINGHAM is gunning for the ultimate Treble - after a “mad 24 hours”.
Just a night after his stoppage-time strike won El Clasico, England ace Bellingham was lifting the Breakthrough prize at the Laureus World Sports Awards.
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And Bellingham admitted he wants to lift three more trophies by the middle of July.
He said: “Success now would be winning all three - La Liga and the Champions League with Real madrid and Euro 2024 with England.
“We're still got a few more games to wrap up La Liga and then we've got two very difficult games against Munich.
“And then for the Euros, hopefully we can take our form from the last few tournaments into that and push on and do one better. It takes a lot of work and a lot of sacrifice and hopefully we can do it.”
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Bellingham admitted that his latest Madrid goal had been the sweetest of all.
He said: “It was a really special feeling.
“You kind of lose all control of your body and the normal senses that go through your head.
“You just lose control of them really but it's something that I really enjoy doing and hopefully there will be more moments like that.
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“It’s been an amazing 24 hours and a bit of a mad, crazy week - so I’m a bit tired now.
“To be here with so many amazing athletes and inspirational people is a real pleasure and then to win something, is even more special.
How Jude Bellingham is key to England winning Euro 2024
“I hope I can keep making more memories with Real Madrid and with England in the future.”
Real Madrid legend Raul suggested Bellingham is already on his way to becoming an all-time Madrid icon.
He said: “Jude is such a mature player. He looks like a veteran already, as if he’s been at Real Madrid for a long time, not just a few months.
“The fans love him because of the way he is and how he plays, his ability to give something extra and connect with people. That is something special.”
The 20-year-old is also now the favourite to win the Ballon d'Or after his latest heroics in Spain.
Odds for Bellingham to claim the prize later this year have tumbled, with the midfielder now ahead of Kylian Mbappe and Harry Kane in the running.
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If victorious, Bellingham would become the first English winner since Michael Owen in 2001.
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Tennis superstar Novak Djokovic was named Laureus World Sportsman of the Year with a double for Spain’s women’s football team as Aitana Bonmati won the women’s prize and the World Cup winners were the team of the year, edging out Manchester City.
Other winners: Comeback - Simone Biles; Sport for Good - Rafa Nadal Foundation
Our beautiful game is broken
By Dave Kidd
When Manchester United got lucky in their FA Cup semi-final, Antony’s first instinct was to goad heartbroken opponents Coventry. To rub their noses in the dirt.
Antony seems to be a vile individual but this isn’t really about Antony. Because Antony is merely a symptom of the hideous sickness within England’s top flight.
There is so much wrong.
After our elite clubs persuaded the FA to completely scrap Cup replays — which gave us Ronnie Radford and Ricky Villa and Ryan Giggs — without due recompense or reasoning with the rest of English football.
The previous day, after his Manchester City side had defeated Chelsea in the other FA Cup semi-final, Pep Guardiola whinged about the fixture scheduling of TV companies who effectively pay much of his £20m salary.
Up at Wolves, Guardiola’s friend and rival Mikel Arteta was playing the same sad song about fixture congestion, despite his Arsenal side having played two fewer games this season than Coventry — who don’t have £50m squad players to rotate with.
Chelsea, oh Chelsea. The one-time plaything of a Russian oligarch now owned by financially incontinent venture capitalists who have piddled £1billion on a squad of players who fight like weasels in a sack about who should bask in the personal glory of scoring the penalty that puts them 5-0 up against Everton.