Rio Ferdinand was left in awe after Jude Bellingham insisted he had no nerves ahead of Real Madrid’s dramatic Champions League semi-final triumph over Bayern Munich.
With a place in next month’s showpiece final at stake, Los Blancos fell behind on the night and on aggregate in the second-half, only for a last-gasp brace from substitute Joselu to send them through to Wembley.
There were more late fireworks after Joselu’s impact from the bench with Bayern having a seemingly legitimate goal chalked off in the dying moments. The match eventually ended 4-3 to Real on aggregate.
And while there were nervy moments, Bellingham, 20, insisted that had no doubts he and his team-mates would get the job done given their “never say die attitude”.
Reacting post-match, he told TNT Sports: “We’ve seen it a lot of times this season when it looked as though we’re dead and buried. It doesn’t matter who scores the goals but someone always manages it… that mentality of never say die.”
When Bellingham was then asked by Ferdinand if he had any nerves ahead of one of the biggest matches of his fledgling career, he left the former defender stunned by replying: “Not really – I really wish I could say I did! In the changing room I was looking around and I just thought, ‘I couldn’t be in a better position with better people’.”
Real, who will be looking to win their 15th European Cup at Wembley, will face Borussia Dortmund after they edged out Paris Saint-Germain over two legs in the other semi-final.
That fixture has added significance for Bellingham, who enjoyed a hugely successful three-year spell with the Bundesliga outfit before joining Real Madrid last summer.
Bellingham came agonisingly close to winning major honours at Dortmund but opted to move on in a bid to challenge for major trophies with Los Blancos, who clinched the La Liga title at the weekend following a routine win over relegation-threatened Cadiz.
When he was asked to reflect on the reality of coming face to face with his old club for the grandest prize in club football, Bellingham added: “At Wembley, against Dortmund, it’s a weird one, I can’t believe it. When I was seven years old in Birmingham, I was dreaming of nights like this.”
