Real Madrid are set to face Sevilla this weekend, where La Liga’s newest star Jude Bellingham will be coming up against one of the league’s most accomplished players in Ivan Rakitic.
Rakitic has been one of the best midfielders in La Liga for over a decade with Sevilla and Barcelona, and even in his older age he is still a tough opponent to face, and he is not a popular midfielder amongst Real Madrid fans given his ties to the Blaugrana.
Bellingham has been arguably the best player in Spain this season, with 10 goals in 10 games since his arrival at Real Madrid, and ahead of the meeting between the two players on Saturday, Rakitic has opened up on a previous conversation between the two.
Rakitic spoke to Bellingham before
Speaking to RTVE, the Croatian revealed that he told Bellingham to come to La Liga when the two met as Sevilla faced Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League two years ago.
“Jude Bellingham? I talked to him two years ago. We played against Dortmund and he asked for my shirt,” he stated.
“We talked, I told him to come to play in La Liga. It’s not a surprise [How good he is], I played against him and I know how strong he is.
“He fits perfectly in Real Madrid. We will all enjoy him a lot but I hope not this Saturday!”
Bellingham to continue his hot form?
Bellingham is currently in the form of his life, and has impacted nearly every game he has played in for Real Madrid.
No one could have anticipated his output exploding so quickly, and Carlo Ancelotti will hope that he can continue his excellent form in what is a tough run of fixtures.
Real Madrid face Sevilla on Saturday, before trips to face Braga in the Champions League and Barcelona in El Clasico, and they will already be leaning on Bellingham to be at his best to come away with victories.
Saturday will see Bellingham face Rakitic again: a star of the past against the star of the present and future.