Real Madrid sensation Jude Bellingham told why Ballon d’Or win in 2024 would not put him at same level as Liverpool & Man Utd legends Steven Gerrard & Paul Scholes

The England international is seeing his stock soar on the books of Real Madrid, with a flurry of goals earning the exciting 20-year-old widespread praise. He has already landed the prestigious Kopa Trophy and Golden Boy award, with it considered to be only a matter of time before he comes into contention for a Golden Ball that would allow him to follow in the footsteps of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

There is enough silverware up for grabs next year, with club and country, for Bellingham to stake a serious claim for the title of 'best player on the planet', but he still has to prove himself over a long period of time. It is for that reason that Owen thinks the youngster cannot yet be likened to Premier League legends that once graced the books at Liverpool, Manchester United and Chelsea.

Ex-England striker Owen, who spent time at Real Madrid in his own playing days, speaking to BoyleSports - who offer the latestEuro 2024 Betting -said. “Jude Bellingham wouldn't automatically be better than Gerrard, [Frank] Lampard, and Scholes if he wins La Liga, the Champions League, and Euro 2024 next year. He'd win the Ballon d'Or, though! Those players did it for years and years and they never dropped their level. They won multiple titles and they were also Champions League winners. Jude is amazing and there's no bigger admirer of him than me, but we can't talk about him being more decorated than those players just yet. He needs to do it for five, six, or seven years to be up there with them.”

Bellingham has registered 17 goals for Real through just 21 appearances in the 2023-24 campaign – with those exploits seeing him match Blancos icon Ronaldo. He has been nursing a shoulder problem, which may require surgery at some stage, but that has not be slowing him down and there is the promise of more to come with club and country.