Jude Bellingham has described persistent racist abuse in La Liga as “disgusting” and admitted he has become accustomed to insults in Spain since joining Real Madrid.
The £115million midfielder’s team-mate Aurelien Tchouameni was the latest to suffer racism after scoring during the weekend win in Mallorca.
Vinicius Junior, in tears, recently revealed that he was “losing the desire” to play as a result of the constant abuse and Bellingham took aim at the authorities on the eve of the Champions League quarter-final second leg between Real Madrid and Manchester City.
“I think in games where we go away, especially in La Liga, you almost get used to it,” said the 20-year-old. ‘I think it’s a huge problem in itself. More needs to be done, whether it’s in punishment or how to act proactively about these types of things.
“I think it’s a horrible way for a player to prepare for a game, knowing that they’re probably going to be racially abused. It’s disgusting. It shouldn’t happen.
Jude Bellingham has denounced persistent racist abuse in Spain after another of his colleagues was attacked.
Aurelien Tchouameni was the last Real Madrid player to suffer abuse from fans in the country
A Mallorca fan was seen making monkey gestures as Real Madrid celebrated Tchouameni’s goal on Saturday – the Spanish broadcaster pixelated his face.
‘The people in power need to do more, especially with Vini in recent weeks (well, years actually). I think the blame falls more on him because of maybe his playing style and the way he likes to express himself, and I don’t think that’s fair.”
Bellingham added: “The game would miss players like Vini if it decided to take a break over this matter.” More needs to be done to support these players.
‘It’s definitely a call to the people who are in charge to take control. I doubt that will happen. “It will be something I imagine we will still have to deal with before the games.”
Tchouameni is suspended for Wednesday’s match at the Etihad Stadium after last week’s vibrant 3-3 draw in the Spanish capital, and Vinicius is likely to be used as a central striker again.
Bellingham could have dressed in sky blue, but has twice rejected City’s advances. Pep Guardiola’s side were behind him last season but were beaten by Madrid, while the player’s family was also invited to the City Football Academy when he was in Birmingham City’s youth team.
“I had good conversations with other teams, but as soon as Real Madrid arrived, it was a no-brainer,” he said of last year’s chase. “The size of the club, the project, the plan to follow, the opportunity to play with such incredible players. I just jumped on it. That’s why I made my decision. I feel grateful every time I wear that badge.”
Real Madrid come into this match (potentially the best pairing of their generation) as underdogs, while superstitious coach Carlo Ancelotti has changed the hotel from the Hyatt Regency to the Lowry in hopes of banishing all memories of the 4-0 semi-final last May. failure.
“City are incredible,” added Bellingham, scorer of 20 goals. ‘Everyone has talked a lot about them. I’m not a gambler and I’ve never been to the betting shops, so I don’t know the odds, but I know we are Real and we have pretty good players.
Bellingham jumped to the defense of his partner, as well as Vinicius Jr., who has also suffered racist abuse.
The 20-year-old admitted that he has become accustomed to the insults and doubts that anything will be done to combat them.
He also spoke about how he had conversations with other teams before signing for Madrid and was followed by City
‘Carlo fills me with confidence and gives me the freedom to be as effective as possible. The sign of a good manager is that he can make you believe that you are better than you were before.
City midfielder Bernardo Silva warned of a Real side seeking revenge, in the same way City did a year ago, and Guardiola has urged a similar atmosphere to last season, something Federico Valverde has described like the hardest I’ve ever experienced.
“We feel safe with our people, our people at home will help us a lot,” Guardiola said before the draw against a rival that hits him like no other. ‘We know that we can handle impulses and do many things. And I know that people in Madrid don’t believe me when I say good things, or when I tell jokes, they always think I’m kidding.
‘It’s not about that. I have always had a good opinion of the history and the people who are there. “I’m not afraid of Madrid and if they beat me, which has happened to me many times, we will congratulate them and wish them the best.”
Meanwhile, City midfielder Bernardo Silva admitted his team are in a position to use another potential treble as inspiration.
Silva admitted the City team suffered a treble hangover at the start of this season but are now in a position where they are using the prospect of winning it all again as inspiration.
“Obviously there is inspiration and motivation, we know how well this team has done and we want to create that legacy,” Silva said. “Do another Premier League, six in seven years and four in a row, and we want to win the Champions League to make it two in a row.”
“I think only Madrid did it, three in a row, but no one else won four consecutive Premier Leagues and if we win two trebles in a row it would be a legacy.”