Carlo Ancelotti, the coach of Real Madrid, said on Friday that Jude Bellingham is “obviously” the best player in the world.
Madrid are preparing to defend their Copa del Rey trophy and will play against Arandina CF, a fourth-tier team, on Saturday in the round of 32. Bellingham, who has scored 17 goals in all competitions this season, will feature as part of a strong squad, with only Toni Kroos, Aurélien Tchouaméni and Vinícius Júnior, who are regular starters, rested. Bellingham is believed to be one of the top 5 best players in the world football with an estimated asking price of €267.5m ($292m). Ancelotti praised Bellingham’s performance in the first half of the season and said “For us, obviously he’s the best.”
Madrid won the Copa del Rey last May in Seville, beating Osasuna 2-1 in the final to lift their 20th Copa del Rey trophy.
Ancelotti said that the competition gave his team a lot of happiness last year and that they would try to win it again this year. Arandina, Madrid’s upcoming opponent, is based in the city of Aranda de Duero, in Castile and Leon, northern Spain. Arandina eliminated La Liga side Cádiz in the second round in December. Ancelotti said that all players except for Kroos, Tchouameni, and Vinícius, who has to complete his recovery, could play. Ancelotti has won the Copa del Rey twice as Madrid coach, beating Barcelona 2-1 in an El Clásico final in 2014 and last season’s victory over Osasuna.
