The Reason Jude Bellingham Wears Real Madrid’s Number Five

At Real Madrid, Jude Bellingham has grown to be a household name very quickly. He has been a vital component of Carlo Ancelotti’s team since going to the Spanish city in the summer of 2023, most notably by scoring an incredible game-winning goal on the road against fierce rivals Barcelona.

1. His father used to have a Zidane shirt when he was younger

Bellingham wears the number five shirt to pay homage to Zidane.

2. When Bellingham moved to Real Madrid, he chose to become the club’s number five. Traditionally, the number is used for defensive-minded players, but the Birmingham City prodigy is an exception.

Children all throughout the city look up to him, purchasing jerseys with his name and shirt number on the back. Bellingham made the decision to join Real Madrid as their number five player after moving there. This number is typically assigned to players who prioritize defense, but the prodigy from Birmingham City is an exception.

He had to make a compromise because he could not wear his treasured number 22. Motivated by one of the best Real Madrid players of all time, Zinedine Zidane, we’ve covered all the information you need to understand Bellingham’s kit number history.

Bellingham: Why is he Real Madrid’s number five?

When his father was younger, he wore a Zidane jersey.

Bellingham honors Zidane by donning a number five shirt. With 227 appearances for the Galacticos, the renowned Frenchman scored 49 goals and provided 67 assists. Most famously, he defeated Bayer Leverkusen in the 2002 Champions League final and scored one of the all-time great goals.

Zidane won the Champions League three times in a row while managing Real Madrid. Though it was not his first choice, it makes natural that Bellingham, a great in every way, chose to pay tribute to his legacy in the capital of Spain. “There wasn’t much else left,” the midfield player stated when asked why he made his choice at the 2023 Ballon d’Or presentation.

But donning the number five shirt has personal meaning for Bellingham as well. His father, Mark Bellingham, wore a Zidane shirt when he was a child. It’s interesting because it has kind of come full circle that my father used to wear a Real Madrid shirt with “Zidane” on the back whenever he went about the home. When I moved here in the summer, he gave it to me,” Bellingham said, according to Talksport.

“I asked him, ‘Who is this guy you have on your shirt?’ every time he wore it. ‘When you’re older, we’ll watch him on YouTube,’ was his standard response. It’s turned out to be a very big story now that I’m wearing number five. incredibly important to me.”