Jude Bellingham: José Mourinho's New Frank Lampard at Real Madrid?
Steve McManaman believes Jude Bellingham could yet become José Mourinho’s new Frank Lampard at Real Madrid – but only if the tactical jigsaw around Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior falls into place.
Speaking to GOAL on behalf of Disney+, ahead of Mourinho’s La Liga return on ESPN this Saturday as Real travel to Espanyol, the former Madrid midfielder weighed up whether Bellingham can reprise the kind of goal‑scoring, late-arriving role Lampard perfected under Mourinho at Chelsea.
“He did that in his first year, didn’t he,” McManaman said, pointing to Bellingham’s explosive debut season in Spain. The pattern since then has been more complicated. “The year before last he dropped a little bit deeper, and last year he struggled for goals.”
The arrival of Mbappé has already nudged the England star’s position on the board.
“I think with the introduction of Kylian, his role changed,” McManaman noted. The question now hangs over Mourinho’s whiteboard: does the Portuguese coach trust a front four that squeezes Bellingham in with Mbappé, Vinícius and Yan Diomande?
“It seems that he wants to play Kylian, Vini Junior and [Yan] Diomande, and that's going to be the big point in the end, whether the space is there for Jude to make that front four.”
In Spain, the league’s rhythm might occasionally allow it. Against certain opponents, Real could unleash all four.
“I think in La Liga, in certain games he'll get away with it, that front four, and he'll be driving forward and he'll certainly score goals Jude because that's what he wants to do and he loves to attack those avenues arriving late, so let's hope that happens,” McManaman said. “But we'll all have to wait and see.”
The real headache sits higher up the pitch. Mbappé and Vinícius both want the same territory.
“I think the biggest conundrum is getting the best out of Kylian and out of Vini Junior and seeing where they both want to play because as we know, and you only have to see the World Cup, both of them like to drift out to the left and both like to stand left,” McManaman explained.
That overlap forces a blunt, tactical question: who lives in the middle?
“It'll be interesting whose job it is to stay in the centre of the box and stay in the centre of the park because both like to come towards the ball. They're both not number nines.”
Real have tried to address that. McManaman pointed to the recruitment of a more orthodox striker profile.
“I know they bought a young lad, [Carlos] Espi, who scored a couple of goals in pre-season already, he is a number nine and Gonzalo Garcia who's now at Fulham was a number nine.”
The contrast with Mbappé and Vinícius is stark.
“Vini Junior and Kylian are not, for all the goals they've scored, they're not orthodox fox in the box-type stuff,” McManaman said. That gap could drag Bellingham closer to the Lampard template, charging into the penalty area as the extra man.
“So maybe it will be up to Jude to make that push into the box,” he suggested, before circling back to the man who will decide it all. “But I'm waiting to see what Jose does and what Jose changes and how Jose's going to help them operate.”
One detail fascinates him in particular. With Diomande expected to provide width and service, Real need a true finisher attacking those deliveries.
“Because if you've got Yan Diomande crossing the ball into the box, who's going to be there to head them in because you know Kylian and Vini are not prolific in the air?” McManaman asked.
“I’m really interested in that side of what Real Madrid are going to do.”
