Real Madrid and Bayern Munich are not just goliaths in their respective leagues but in European Football. Among themselves, they have won 20 European Cups in the last 80 years and now they are going to face each other in the semifinals of the Champions League today. At the forefront of their attack stand England’s two best players: Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid) and Harry Kane (Bayern Munich).
Neither of them could have asked for a better start to their maiden season at their respective clubs. Harry Kane has been finding the back of the net at a record-breaking speed and has scored 42 goals in 42 games for Bayern in all competitions. Bellingham, on the other hand, currently sits 2nd on La Liga’s top scorer table with 17 goals and has scored 21 goals in all competitions for Real Madrid.
Though it is not the first time that both European giants featured English players in their line-up for their Champions League semifinals, in 2001, in the second leg of the semifinal, Bayern’s then 19-year-old Owen Hargreaves (in midfield), who made his first appearance in European competition in Munich, faced Real Madrid’s Steve McManaman.
Bayern defeated Real Madrid in both legs and went on to win their 4th Champions League title.
This time, however, things are quite different as Kane and Ballingham are not just representing the top 2 English players in recent times but both of them have been standouts for their respective clubs and had a big impact in reaching the semifinals.
Kane and his team defeated Arsenal in the second leg of the quarterfinals with an aggregate score of 3-2 as Joshua Kimmich found the back of the net with his header managing to be the only goal of the match at the Allianz Arena.
The England captain has been an admirer of Bellingham even saying he is happy how Bellingham has acclimatised to life in the Spanish capital and even insists that no love will be lost with his English teammate in the first leg of the Champions League semifinal to be played in Munich today.
Kane said, “I am really happy for Jude (Bellingham) but it will be another war against his team. These are the experiences we both went abroad to try to achieve: to play in these big nights in the Champions League, to play in these big semi-finals. It will be one to enjoy and I’m sure there will be a lot of English fans watching both of us.
“With Wembley being our national stadium, it’s extra motivation there for us. But there are two games ahead of us before that, which are going to be really tough, so we have to focus on that.”
In February this year, Kane spoke of Bellingham’s qualities he admires as a player and even discussed how these two would thrive playing alongside for England as they will both be playing together for the national team for the European Championships that will take place in Germany.
Kane said, “Jude is a fantastic player, really smart and mature and will only get better, and I’m hoping that our relationship will get better from that. If you saw some of the games in the camps in November and October, we complemented each other well because we understand each other.
“Sometimes Jude will be playing high as a No 9 and I’ll fill that role as a No 10. Sometimes I’ll be No 9, and he’ll play as a 10. I don’t want to say they are ‘free’ roles but we both have more to our games than just one position.
We see the pitch, see where the space is and try and get involved. I’m hoping that will blossom the more we play with each other.”
Bellingham has made an impact for Real Madrid and is being praised by many of the club’s former players including Los Blancos’ former captain and three-time Champions League winner Raúl González who said, “Bellingham is the player who has impressed me the most given how young he is. He speaks as a mature player, a veteran already as if he had been at Real Madrid for a long time.”
Raúl, who scored 323 goals in 741 appearances for Real Madrid also said, “It’s really hard to find a player like that and the fans love him.
“He is a player who gives extra when things are tough. He connects with people and that is why he is going to be a legend.”
20-year-old Bellingham is being regarded as the future captain of the England national team after Kane decides to hang his boots. The face-off between the two top-tier English players could just show how far Bellingham has come.
Bellingham said, “I could never have dreamt of how it’s started. Not just because of the performances, and the goals, but just the feeling you get playing for the club every day.
“You get to put the badge on your chest and you’re just so grateful to be there. Long may it continue.
“I could never have dreamt of how it’s started. Not just because of the performances, and the goals, but just the feeling you get playing for the club every day.
“You get to put the badge on your chest and you’re just so grateful to be there. Long may it continue.”