Carlo Ancelotti has come to Jude Bellingham's defense, asserting that the contributions he makes to Real Madrid this season are "more important" than simply finding the back of the net.
Bellingham has yet to score in his nine appearances for Madrid this season, a stark contrast to the 23 goals he netted in all competitions during the previous campaign.
The role of the England midfielder has shifted since Kylian Mbappé joined the team, as he started on the right side of the attack during Madrid's 2-1 victory at Celta Vigo on Saturday.
"We're satisfied with his work, I'm very satisfied," Ancelotti remarked at a press conference on Monday, prior to Madrid's Champions League match against Borussia Dortmund. "He works a lot, he's always present, he competes, he fights, he sacrifices himself.
"It's true he hasn't scored the goals he scored last year, but the surprise isn't this year; the surprise was last year when he scored many goals that nobody expected and helped us a lot. The problem this year isn't that we're lacking Bellingham's goals.
"We've always scored goals, and we'll always score because we have talented players up front. For us, at this moment, the work he's doing is more important than the goals he scored last year."
Madrid is set to face Barcelona in LaLiga's El Clásico on Saturday, sitting three points behind the league leaders.
Mbappé found the net against Celta and has accumulated six league goals this season. Ancelotti expressed that he is unfazed by any criticism regarding the French international's off-the-ball work.
"[I ask him] to score goals," Ancelotti stated. "I prefer him to score goals rather than pressing. The center-forward role hasn't changed for us; I ask the same of Mbappé that I asked Karim [Benzema]: to be ready when we win the ball and try to make a fast transition."
Former Manchester United forward Diego Forlán is geared up to make his professional tennis debut at next month's Uruguay Open. The 45-year-old football legend will team up with Argentine player Federico Coria for the doubles event, bringing his competitive spirit to the tennis court in his home country.
An announcement from the tournament organizers excitedly declared: "Attention tennis and sports fans! This year at the Uruguay Open, we have an UNMISSABLE duo in doubles: Argentine tennis player Federico Coria and former Uruguayan football player Diego Forlan."
The Uruguay Open will be played at the Challenger Tour level, the second-highest professional tier in tennis. Coria, who boasts a career-high singles ranking of 49, will be a valuable partner for Forlán as they aim to win the doubles event.
Forlán, a cult hero at Manchester United, is fondly remembered for his impactful moments on the football field. He famously scored both goals in a memorable 2-1 victory against Liverpool in December 2002, followed by a dramatic 90th-minute winner against Chelsea, which helped Sir Alex Ferguson’s team clinch the Premier League title.
Interestingly, Forlán's journey echoes that of his father, who also transitioned from football to tennis after retiring. “My father played football, and after retiring at 41, he took up tennis. That’s why I started playing at the age of two. Everyone knows I dedicated myself to football before returning to this sport as diligently as I now do,” Forlán has shared. Football fans around the world will be very interested to see how the footballing legend gets on.
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