David Beckham leaves Jude Bellingham feeling ‘a bit uglier’ as Real Madrid & England superstar reflects on ignoring advice to never meet your heroes

Current England star Bellingham followed in the footsteps of ex-Three Lions captain Beckham when making his own move to Santiago Bernabeu in 2023. The 21-year-old has been a revelation in Spain, scoring 23 goals in his debut campaign while claiming La Liga and Champions League titles.

Those exploits have earned praise from Beckham, who has mimicked Bellingham’s famous celebration on social media, while also securing the honour of becoming a cover star for EAFC 25. As part of the promotional campaign for that game, Bellingham linked up with Beckham – who boasts his own ‘Icon’ card.

Speaking on his ‘Out of the Floodlights’ YouTube series, Bellingham has said of rubbing shoulders with Becks: “It's an honour really you know. There's always that thing about don't meet your heroes and he's [Beckham's] one that I've met and I've actually thought 'He's amazing and he seems like a really down to earth guy' regardless of how famous he is and what he's achieved in his career and in his life. He makes me look a little bit uglier, but you can learn to deal with that if it's on the cover of video games.”

Bellingham added on becoming the face of EA Sports’ latest release in their FC franchise: “I've played every single EA since I was six, seven. Some of your best memories are sitting around a tiny little telly with a couple of controllers on their last legs because they've been bashed around the room, having games with players you never think you'd play against - you never think you'd meet. And then all of a sudden, I'm on the cover and I'm meeting and playing amongst these players. It's really surreal and I'm really grateful that I've been given a chance to do it.”

Bellingham has had to overcome the odd injury issue this season, as a long-standing shoulder problem continues to trouble him, but he does form part of Carlo Ancelotti’s plans at present and remains a contender for the 2024 Ballon d’Or.