It seems everyone wants a glimpse of Jude Bellingham’s Champions League action at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday night.
Bellingham will face Man City in the quarter-final second leg, live on talkSPORT 2, the first time he has played club football in England since his blockbuster move to Real Madrid.
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That means his family, friends, and almost everyone he’s ever met wants to be there in person.
The 20-year-old even joked that he had to take drastic measures to avoid some ticket requests.
He said TNT Sports: “Honestly, I had to turn my phone off a few times and stream people I didn’t want to, but there’s a lot of family coming so it should be a good day.”
Bellingham joined Real Madrid this summer from Borussia Dortmund in a deal worth an initial £88.5 million.
Learn more about Jude Bellingham
He was in talks with English clubs and things went differently, so perhaps he could have lined up against Madrid for Man City.
Asked about the summer, he said: “I had brilliant conversations with a few teams in England and they were all very respectful of my family and the way we went about the process was really good. I loved having everyone’s point of view.
“When Real Madrid came it was a no-brainer, what they said and what they made me feel couldn’t really be repeated by anyone else.
“Now I’m reaping the rewards of that decision. I feel very grateful every time I go to training and wear that badge on my chest.”
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Bellingham played in the thrilling first leg at the Bernabeu last week, which saw the European giants play out a 3-3 draw.
Bernardo Silva gave City an early lead with an inventive free-kick before a Ruben Dias own goal and Rodrygo strike turned the game on its head in the space of three first-half minutes.
Last season’s treble winners then turned things around thanks to brilliant long-range strikes from Phil Foden and Josko Gvardiol, but a well-taken volley by Federico Valverde ensured the final level in the first leg.
Man City vs Real Madrid is live on talkSPORT 2 with kick-off at 8pm.
