Jude Bellingham’s first Clasico appeared to be passing him by. Just like nearly every Real Madrid player around him, he was struggling to get into Saturday’s game at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys. Barcelona were undeniably dominating, excellent value for a 1-0 win given to them by Ilkay Gundogan.
Worse still, it actually looked like they wanted it more. Madrid looked lethargic. They were strangely subdued. The introduction of Luka Modric certainly helped matters. But the unlikeliest of Clasico comebacks was all about Bellingham.
With 22 minutes to go, he picked up possession about 10 yards outside the Barca box and simply thumped the ball past Marc-Andre ter Stegen and into the back of the net. Then, in injury time, the Englishman struck again, showing his predatory instincts to get on the end of a Dani Carvajal cross that Modric had helped on into the six-yard box. Game over. Job done. Bellingham brilliant again.
Below, we runs through all of the winners and losers from a remarkable encounter in Catalunya…
WINNER: Jude Bellingham
We all knew Jude Bellingham was good. But did anyone really think he was going to be this good, this quickly?! The kid is still only 20 years of age and he’s just won a Clasico almost single handedly. Make no mistake about it: Madrid were going nowhere here. They’d been second best all game, until Bellingham decided to level the game with a shot so ferocious that it bordered on violence.
Seriously, there was real menace behind the strike, as underlined by the fact that Bellingham barely celebrated. He appeared more annoyed than anything else, almost angry that it had come to this; him having to bail out los Blancos once again.
He wasn’t done, though. In injury time, he stole into the area to win the game for Madrid with a far more straightforward finish. In doing so, he became the first Madrid player this century to score twice on his Clasico debut this century. Not even the great Cristiano Ronaldo managed such a feat.
And that’s the level of talent we’re talking about here; there’s simply no getting away from that fact now. Jude Bellingham is the real deal, and the new king of the Clasico.
LOSER: Xavi
How he must have thought he did everything right! Barcelona are short at the moment, missing four presumptive starters, and relying on a number of backups and teenagers to pick up results in a gruelling La Liga slate. And for 65 minutes, the Barca boss made it work. His midfield was excellent, while his defensive structure held firm. Vinicius, Toni Kroos and Bellingham hardly had a sniff, and the Blaugrana were dangerous on the break.
But it all went wrong. Madrid simply had a stronger bench and Xavi could only watch while his team were steadily outclassed. Perhaps this would have gone differently if the Barca manager could call on Frenkie de Jong, Pedri and even Jules Kounde at the back.
Instead, a team of bit-part players and La Masia graduates were overrun by a team who simply looked like they had been here before. Xavi didn’t really get anything wrong here. Madrid were, in effect, too good. And perhaps that’s the most demoralising thing of all.
WINNER: Luka Modric
Just when you think Luka Modric is done, just when you think he might not have any more left in the tank, he makes an impact like this that leaves you cursing yourself for ever doubting the great man.
Bellingham will dominate all of the headlines after this Clasico – and rightly so as both the game-changer and the match-winner. But Modric coming on in place of Toni Kroos was an important moment in the proceedings. The Croatian maestro, as he so often does, added poise, precision and penetration to Madrid’s play, which is precisely why Barca lost control of a game that they had been bossing.
How much longer can Modric keep doing this? Who knows? He may have been the oldest player on the pitch but he also ultimately proved one of its most influential – and on his 500th appearance for Madrid. All we can say for sure is that we’ll probably never see a player like Luka Modric ever again.
LOSER: Ferran Torres
The striker has been a steady backup this year. He is certainly lacking in some areas, but it is hard to complain about his three La Liga goals and constant effort. Still, his biggest fault is that he is simply nowhere near as good as the guy he was charged with replacing.
And with Lewandowski unable to start, still recovering from an ankle injury, Ferran had to be perfect. Instead, he returned to his old erratic self. Ferran rushed things far too often, and didn’t connect with the midfield effectively enough. Indeed, the striker was often bypassed, and a peripheral figure when the Blaugrana looked to break. Ironically, they were, despite not scoring, a far more dangerous attacking team when he was removed from play after an hour.
This is likely the end of a run in the side for the Spaniard, who, for all of his hard work and good vibes, isn’t good enough to force his way into a team that has lofty ambitions.
LOSER: Girona
Twenty-eight points from a possible 33, the second-best team in the league on current form, and somehow not top of the table? Few would have thought that the best team from Catalunya would be the one that plays outside of Barcelona, but Girona have been the early surprise of La Liga this season. They are a very good side. Savinho has been a revelation on the wing, while manager Michel has pieced together an exciting attacking team.
But for all of their efforts, it simply hasn’t been enough. They went into the game three points clear of Madrid and must have thought at half time that they’d have sole possession of the top spot in the league. But they could only watch as another Catalonian side were steadily outclassed. It’s not all bad here. Girona are now in second — on goal difference. And a league title is quite comfortably out of the question. Still, it would have been nice to cling onto first place for a little while longer.
WINNER: La Liga
There is simply no getting away from the fact that these are tough times for La Liga. Like so many other domestic competitions across the continent, the Primera Division simply cannot compete with the financial might of the Premier League. Even the emergence of the Saudi Pro League is a cause for concern in Spain, given one of the country’s most promising players, Gabri Veiga, left Celta this summer for Al-Ahli.
Truth be told, the Clasico, La Liga’s crown jewel, has also lost some of its lustre in recent years, which is hardly surprising, of course. The Lionel Messi-Cristiano Ronaldo rivalry transformed the fixture into must-watch TV for a decade. When both moved on, there was always going to be a drop in interest.
Karim Benzema and Robert Lewandowski made things interesting last season but the former has also departed for the Middle East, while it’s clear that time is taking its toll on the latter.
The Clasico clearly needed new stars. Barca have unearthed more gems, in Gavi, Pedri and, perhaps most excitingly of all, Lamine Yamal, while Madrid already had Vinicius Junior, a joy to behold in full flight.
But Bellingham brings something different to the equation. He is something special, the kind of talent with a truly global appeal who might attract a whole new generation of football fans to the Clasico and, as a result, La Liga.
Indeed, it’s hard not to imagine Javier Tebas being more than a little happy with how the Englishman’s first Clasico panned out. The whole world would have sat up and taken notice. On Saturday, it really did feel like a bona fide superstar had been born.
