Jude Bellingham 'didn't like football' in confession that will stun fans
Jude Bellingham didn't like football as a youngster as Real Madrid star opens up
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Jude Bellingham has surprisingly admitted he didn't like football growing up.
Not that you'd guess it from the way the Real Madrid and England star has flourished in the sport so far.
Bellingham is the talk of world football having scored 13 goals from as many matches for Real Madrid since his arrival.
The 20-year-old has become the club's talisman in the process, with many supporters left in awe of his vast talent.
Jude Bellingham has dazzled for Real Madrid and England in recent times
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But Bellingham, speaking to L'Equipe, has now revealed he didn't originally like the sport growing up.
"At the beginning I didn't like football at all," he said.
"The truth is that it's crazy to say today that if someone took this away from me I would go crazy.
"When I was a kid I used to go to training sessions and I used to pick the grass, the flowers, I used to make necklaces with the daisies to give them to my mother who was outside the field watching me.
"It was like that, really, and the best part of this whole story is that it's probably the reason why I ended up getting involved in soccer in the end.
"My dad would take me to practice and tell me if you want to play tag, play catch or go pick flowers.
"My parents never forced me to do anything in that sense as long as I behaved well and helped others.
"I guess the world to me was the playground and they still remind me of that today."
So why did Bellingham then pursue a career in the sport?
He claims it's because of his competitive edge - adding: "My love for soccer comes from competition, to be honest.
"I've always been very competitive, even when I played tag, I wanted to always catch the best flowers or be the fastest at hide-and-seek, and when I was growing up I had some problems because when I lost I would get very angry, I refused to shake hands with my opponent.
"I learned from that that you have to be respectful, but it's mostly the competition that made me love this sport."
Bellingham also opened up on his decision to join Borussia Dortmund back in 2020.
The midfielder surprised many by swapping Birmingham for Germany, having been strongly linked with Manchester United.
But Bellingham thought about every possibility before moving to the Westfalenstadion and is happy with his experience of the country.
"I remember that when I signed for Dortmund I could have opted for other clubs but at the moment I signed I discussed it with my family and said that once I have signed it is my decision and that it was made and that there was no need to talk about other clubs anymore," he said.
"We have dedicated ourselves to this club.
"Sometimes it's difficult to adapt to a new culture because it means going to the bars and getting people to recognize you and that's not easy, but I have tried to get involved as much as possible and that has made things easier.
"I sound a bit like a broken record when I say this but my colleagues helped me a lot and helped me adapt."
And Bellingham has no plans to stop there, either, with the England star eager to achieve success with club and country in the years ahead.
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Jude Bellingham is eager to win trophies with Real Madrid and England in the future
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"In five years with Madrid I hope to have won five Champions League titles, a European Championship and hopefully a World Cup," he said.
"It's not that, it's true that I'm someone who wants to be as optimistic as possible and I don't think about a game I can lose.
"You have to face every competition to win it because otherwise, what is the point?
"It is very complicated to give an exact number of titles, how many here and there, I prefer to focus on playing well and if in five years my family is healthy and happy is the most important thing for me.
"I have to keep playing as I am doing so far because I am convinced that I can do great things."