STORY: Real Madrid unveils Jude Bellingham, its 100 million euro star
DATELINE: June 16, 2023
LENGTH: 00:01:51
LOCATION: Madrid
CATEGORY: SPORTS

SHOTLIST:
1. various of Jude Bellingham
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): JUDE BELLINGHAM, Real Madrid player
3. various of Jude Bellingham
4. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): JUDE BELLINGHAM, Real Madrid player
5. various of Jude Bellingham

STORYLINE:

Real Madrid formally unveiled 19-year-old English international midfielder Jude Bellingham at their training complex on Thursday.

The club declared Bellingham's transfer on a six-year deal from Borussia Dortmund for a preliminary fee of 103 million euros on Wednesday. Additionally, they confirmed he would inherit the '5' shirt, once donned by Zinedine Zidane.

Despite attracting interest from clubs in his home country, Bellingham stated that Madrid had always been his top preference.

SOUNDBITE 1 (English): JUDE BELLINGHAM, Real Madrid player
"I don't think about money at all when I make these kinds of decisions. I've never have. I never will. Play the game purely out of love. I love the feeling I got from the club. I couldn't hide it. I told them more or less straight away what I felt about the club. And after I made my decision, I wanted it to happen quickly. It wasn't a case of the other teams are bad or they weren't good. It's just that for me Madrid is the greatest."

When questioned whether he believed English captain Harry Kane could transfer to Real Madrid this summer, Bellingham preferred not to speculate on the Tottenham forward's potential actions.

However, he did convey his enthusiasm about collaborating with coach Carlo Ancelotti.

SOUNDBITE 2 (English): JUDE BELLINGHAM, Real Madrid player
"I've had a little bit of contact with him and I think he's just an incredible coach. His CV, his record, the games he's won, the trophies he's won speak for itself really. For me, it's a brilliant opportunity to come and learn from one of the greatest coaches that's ever coached. So I'm very looking forward to that and very grateful that he wants me in his squad."

Bellingham added that he knew he would be under pressure after his move, but insisted he was ready to deal with it.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Madrid.
(XHTV)