Former Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti likened Jude Bellingham to the legendary Brazilian playmaker Kaká during a staunch defense of the underfire England international.
Like so many starlets before him, Bellingham has been exposed to the fickle nature of British soccer fans over the past few months. Having been the darling of the nation as a rare example of an English player shining on the continent, the all-action focal point for Real Madrid has been increasingly singled out for his supposed arrogance.
Screaming “who else?” in celebration may come across as a little cocky, but Bellingham had just scored a stoppage-time equalizer with an outrageous overhead kick to spare England elimination in the knockout stages of the 2024 European Championships. Who else could actually have come up with that?
Former England assistant coach Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink perfectly captured the confidence paradox in which Bellingham finds himself. “That is the problem a little bit with the English,” he told this week. “You are allowed to be good but you are not allowed to have self-belief. And self-belief is sometimes taken as being arrogant.”
Ancelotti oversaw the best season of Bellingham’s young career in 2023–24 as the midfielder racked up a staggering 23 goals (and 13 assists) across all competitions to help Real Madrid win La Liga and the Champions League. The question of “arrogance” was never a factor for the Italian tactician.
“No, I never had a problem with Jude about his attitude,” Ancelotti told . “He is really professional, really serious, works hard in training, like all English players do. And no, no complaints.”
When it came to Bellingham’s qualities on the pitch—which have been increasingly and bizarrely overlooked during the debate over his attitude—Ancelotti was similarly effusive in his praise.
“I think Jude is a fantastic player. If I have to compare, we were talking about Kaká.”
There are few attacking midfielders in the history of the sport that can match Kaká’s balletic quality. The 2007 Ballon d’Or winner claimed that year’s Champions League title with Ancelotti’s AC Milan side, adding the big-eared trophy to a cabinet already brimming with honors in Italy at the World Cup title with Brazil in 2002. Unlike Bellingham, Kaká never was able to replicate those heights at Real Madrid.
In fact, the English tyro needed 61 games to score more goals for the Spanish giants (30) than Kaká managed across 120 appearances (29) in all white.
“He is this kind of player, a really intelligent player, who is physically really strong, fantastic to arrive in the box at the right time,” Ancelotti gushed. “He’s doing really well, and maybe he had a problem with his shoulder. He was out for two or three months, now he's back. No question mark. But why do you have to put a question mark on Bellingham?”
The current Brazil boss simply had no time for criticisms about “a good guy and a great player.”
