At Real Madrid, Jude Bellingham will don the number five jersey that was formerly worn by club legend Zinedine Zidane.
On Wednesday, the England midfielder signed a six-year contract at the Santiago Bernabeu to finalize his transfer from Borussia Dortmund to Los Blancos. After an amazing three years at BVB, the Spanish juggernauts are thought to have paid €103m plus add-ons for Bellingham's services.
On Wednesday morning, Bellingham completed his Real Madrid medical. At the club's news conference at noon, the player and president Florentino Perez held up Bellingham's new number five shirt.
Legendary midfielder Zinedine Zidane famously wore the number five shirt from 2001 to 2006 while playing at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Zidane is a sportsman. In response to the question of who footballer inspires him the most, the England star previously said: "Easy, man. First, Zidane. The coolest dude ever, hands down. I would probably answer Zidane. It was the first time I ever experienced admiration for someone.
At his press conference for his presentation, Bellingham discussed Zidane and his recognizable number, saying: "I've mentioned how much I adore Zinedine Zidane, the legacy he has with the club. I'm just trying to be Jude with this song; I'm not trying to be him, but it's clearly a tribute to how incredible he was.
Jesus Vallejo most recently wore the number five for Real Madrid, although he has now switched to the number 24.
I appreciate Jesus Vallejo allowing me to wear the number five. I spoke with him briefly to see whether it was alright with him, and he was a beautiful, brilliant man who allowed me wear it and was just very kind about it. He has my sincere gratitude, Bellingham stated on Wednesday.
Raphael Varane wore it for five seasons before switching to Manchester United before Vallejo. The other players to have worn the number in the post-Zidane playing era are Fabio Coentrao, Nuri Sahin, Fernando Gago, and Fabio Cannavaro.
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