According to Jude Bellingham, he chose the number five jersey when he joined Real Madrid since Zinedine Zidane is an inspiration to him.
The England midfielder signed a six-year contract with Real on Thursday afternoon to complete his initial 103 million euro (£88.5 million) transfer from Borussia Dortmund.
After receiving the number five shirt at the Bernabeu, Bellingham addressed the media, calling it the "proudest day" of his life.
He then gave an explanation of why he asked Jesus Vallejo to give up the number for him, citing Zidane, who won 16 major awards while managing and playing for Real.
"I really admire Zidane and the legacy he has at this club with the number five," Bellingham stated.
I find inspiration in that number. I've been wearing 22 for a while, and I'll keep wearing 22 in my heart. I'm excited to be wearing the number 5.
After playing a key role for Dortmund, who narrowly missed winning the league on the final day of the season, Bellingham was recently voted the Bundesliga player of the season.
Bellingham's childhood team Birmingham unexpectedly decided to retire his number 22 shirt at St. Andrews after his transfer to Dortmund.
In 132 appearances he went on to score 24 goals, winning the DFB Pokal in 2021.
But now, he says that he has joined the best club in the world and that his decision was not influenced by money.
Few players get the opportunity to represent such a spectacular and illustrious club as Real Madrid, the greatest club in history. I'm very appreciative of the people that brought me here, he continued.
"When I make judgments like this, money is not a factor. I don't care about it.I adore the sport, and I adore Real Madrid's atmosphere and the way the club makes me feel.
"Real Madrid is the best club in the world to me, therefore I wanted everything to go smoothly. Real Madrid is the best team, but it doesn't imply the other teams are awful.
Bellingham thanked everyone for coming to share in his finest day of his life as his parents looked on.
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