Chelsea legend Joe Cole has urged Jude Bellingham to “cement his legacy” in Saturday night’s Champions League final.
Real Madrid star Bellingham is vying to win the competition for the first time in his career at Wembley, but to do so he will need to triumph over his former team Borussia Dortmund.
The 20-year-old will face some familiar faces on the night, with former teammate Jadon Sancho likely to feature in Edin Terzic’s lineup.
Ahead of the match, the biggest on the club football calendar, Cole has partnered with Expedia Live, the brand that encourages fans to travel around the beautiful game to preview the match.
Speaking to Mail Sport, Cole said: “It’s going to be a great game.” I think it’s great that, first of all, we have this match in London and that we have the ability to show our skills.
As part of Expedia Live’s ‘Travel the Beautiful Game’ campaign, Joe Cole sat down with Mail Sport to preview the Champions League final between Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund.
Former teammates Jude Bellingham (left) and Jadon Sancho will meet in the final.
‘You know, welcoming the world to this great city for the fans to come. Dortmund fans have a history of playing the final in London, so they will know everything. But it’s great that we have it in this country. And we have to do it justice.”
Cole, who made 56 appearances for England during his established career, reflected on the seasons of Bellingham and Sancho and what a victory in the final could mean for both men respectively.
“It will be a great moment for both of us, for different reasons, but Jadon Sancho is an incredibly talented player. It didn’t work out for him at Manchester United but there is no doubt about his ability. He went to Dortmund and he is doing it. He is at home! ! He was brilliant in the semi-final, especially in the first leg.
‘And with Jude… I love Jude! I think he’s amazing. If I were managing Jude now, I’d be saying, “I don’t want you to be in the media.”
‘Everyone is climbing for them in this country. So, I would say, I don’t care what the media says, what the sponsors say, if I’m looking after Jude Bellingham, forget about all that.
“Go and become the great player you already are, but go, cement your legacy and win.” He have fun. More importantly, take it all in. You don’t need to be running around answering questions.
‘I’m watching the Euro Cup, with Gareth (Southgate). As soon as he joined the squad, he told him: “Hey, after the game you’re not going to do anything. Go directly to the mixed zone. We’re not going to put you to anything.”
Cole urged Bellingham to “cement their legacy” when they play in their first Champions League final.
Sancho has been in rejuvenated form since joining Borussia Dortmund on loan in January.
“There will be rejection from a lot of people, but you have to do what’s right for him, for the team.” Enjoy your football. Let him play.’
While Bellingham has enjoyed a remarkable campaign since leaving Borussia Dortmund and moving to Madrid for £113million, his former team-mate Sancho has returned to Germany.
In September, Sancho was ostracized at Manchester United and sent back to Dortmund on loan in January after falling out with manager Erik ten Hag.
In a social media post, Sancho effectively called Ten Hag a liar for his reasons for leaving the player out of his team because he had not trained enough.
However, Sancho can have the last laugh when he plays for Dortmund against Real Madrid in the Champions League final at Wembley, a week after Ten Hag won the FA Cup there in what could be his last game in charge. .
Speaking further about Sancho, Cole continued: “I think Sancho is a fantastic, talented player. “I don’t think he has the mentality of Jude Bellingham, which is fine, you know, he’s had his difficulties.
“I don’t think he covered himself in glory for how he behaved at Manchester United. It’s not me trying to grab headlines or anything like that. I’d say it to his face!
But I think he’s a good boy. And I’m very happy for him because he’s smiling, he’s back playing football and he’s doing his thing. But I think that in that situation the responsibility falls on both fronts, right? But that’s life. You make mistakes and you mature.
He’s here tomorrow and I hope he shoves it down the throats of everyone who doubted him. I love redemption stories, you know? But ultimately, as you mature and get older, you think about the things you do and you learn, and I think he’ll learn from his experience. I think he still has a lot to say from England and anything.
In September, Sancho was dropped from Man United and sent back to Dortmund on loan.
Sancho, despite his impressive form for Dortmund in the second half of the campaign, was left out of Southgate’s provisional squad for this summer’s Euros.
Cole continued: ‘He left his career too late. If he had started the season in Dortmund, I think he would have been in the picture. I mean, the unfortunate thing is that there are other great players in that position, doing fantastic things.
“I think the only thing I hope he does is learn from his experience. You know, I think he’s a misunderstood character but someone around him has to tell him that he has to take some responsibility for what happened.
“Because a player of his ability should not stop being in that Manchester United team.”
Joe Cole spoke on behalf of Expedia Live. The brand encourages fans to travel for the beautiful game, since there is nothing better than being there. Visit Expedia live or head to the Expedia stand at the UEFA Champions Festival in Trafalgar Square this weekend.
