Before Real Madrid vs Atletico, the attention was focusing on the competition between Kylian Mbappe and Julian Alvarez. But in addition, the fate of the Madrid derby will be decided by another battle in the middle of the field, between English players Jude Bellingham and Conor Gallagher …
Before Real Madrid vs Atletico, Bellingham and Gallagher met in the derby in the first leg at Metropolitano. It was the match that the goal in the 5th injury time of Angel Correa helped Atletico take a point from the hands of Real Madrid. However, it is still not the first encounter between the two British midfielders.
The first confrontation between them actually took place more than 5 years ago, in the Charlton vs Birmingham match in the 7th round of Championship season 2019/20. At that time, Gallagher was wearing the home team The Valley under the loan contract from Chelsea, and Bellingham was a boy who had just been promoted to the first team. Both were named in the starting line -up, on the day Bellingham became the youngest player in the history of Birmingham kicked at the age of 167 days.
Everything seemed to support the host Charlton, the team was ranked 2nd in the rankings and was full of hope for promotion of the Premier League after a series of 6 unbeaten matches (won 4, drew 2), and Birmingham was only 9th. In addition, The Valley team has another reason to win, when the match took place on the occasion of the club’s celebration. However, the only goal in Bellingham’s 52nd minute ruined everything.
After this 0-1 defeat, Charlton gradually decided and instead of the ticket back to the Premier League, had to … relegated at the end of the season. Gallagher also had to taste the bitter feeling in the first encounter with Bellingham. However, to the later confrontations between the two teammates in the U21 team and the UK national team, the wind changed direction.
Gallagher and Chelsea beat Birmingham of Bellingham with a score of 3-1 in 2020. Three years later, he and the Blues won 2-0 against the Dortmund of the young teammate at the Three Lions. In the first leg of this season at Metropolitano, it was the first time two British players confronted each other in a Madrid derby, Gallagher was still not lost when Correa equalized 1-1 in the last minute.
Now the British duo prepared to have the 5th encounter, when Real Madrid vs Atletico kicked the derby in La Liga. And of course, Bellingham is still much more appreciated. Not only because he has stepped up the ranks of stars from a very young age, while midfielder and compatriots struggled at Chelsea before temporarily stabilizing at Atletico, but also by the current form of their current form.
At the beginning of the season, actually Gallagher – the player nicknamed “Pitbull dog” because of the strong and aggressive gameplay – the new player. When he scored in two consecutive matches for Atletico against Valencia and Vallecano at the end of September 2024, Bellingham was still in the consequences of Real Madrid’s tactical adjustment. At that time, the Talkshort site even put the gallagher in the ranks of the best English midfielders, on par with Cole Palmer and Emile Smith-Rowe.
But now, Bellingham has exploded again with 10 goals and 10 assists after 30 matches in all competitions for Real Madrid. Meanwhile, Gallagher did not maintain the position in the middle line of Atletico. However, there is no guarantee of the home team’s star will win the next confrontation with “Pibull dog”. Because since joining Real Madrid, Bellingham has only won 1 derby with Atletico, while draw 2 and lost 2 matches.