Jude Bellingham insists a training ground bust-up with his own team-mate was just a ‘normal’ part of preparations for Real Madrid as they plot a historic comeback against Arsenal. The reigning European champions host the Gunners at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday needing a near-miracle.
They find themselves 3-0 down after the first-leg of their Champions League quarter-final clash. Declan Rice fired home two stunning free kicks before Mikel Merino added a third.
Some might have thought the pressure was already getting to Carlo Ancelotti’s men. Reports suggested that England star Bellingham had been involved in an angry training ground clash with ex-Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger.
And while Bellingham did not deny the confrontation, he claimed it was nothing out of the ordinary. Speaking in a pre-match press conference, the midfielder said: “It’s football, it’s normal on the pitch that emotions get high. You communicate with teammates louder than you’d communicate with your mum and dad.
“For every negative interaction you see, there’s 20 positive interactions. That will get lost in the media which is fine, as long as the team respects each other to have those honest conversations.”
And while there appears to be a tense atmosphere among the Real group, Bellingham is not allowing any distractions. He has attempted to move on from Real’s thumping in North London and has firmly set his sights on adding another memorable European night to the club’s lengthy catalogue.
He added: “It’s a different night. We’ve been underwhelming in some games but found a way to win. We’re required to score goals tomorrow and we’ve got to live up to that. Worrying about if we’ve scored more than one goal in recent games, that’s not a concern of ours.”
“I’ve heard it a million times since last week, I’ve seen a million videos – it’s really motivating stuff,” Bellingham continued. “It’s a night that’s made for Real Madrid.
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“A night that would go down in history but also something that people are familiar with around this part of this world. Hopefully we can add another special night.
“There’s not a lot you can do for Real Madrid in the Champions League that hasn’t already been done, tomorrow is an opportunity for us to do something for the first time so that’s really important to us.”
Both Real and Arsenal already know the opponents they will face in the semi-finals should they get there. They have been drawn to face either Paris Saint-Germain or Aston Villa, with the French side the favourites to progress having won the first leg 3-1 in Paris.
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