First Zinedine Zidane, now Kaka! Real Madrid sensation Jude Bellingham picks up another legendary comparison as Carlo Ancelotti lauds England star as ‘a humble and hardworking boy’

Bellingham, in just 16 games, has scored 15 goals and provided four assists, making him the fastest player to reach this milestone in the white shirt. His exploits in front of goal led the Italian manager to compare the English youngster to that of Kaka during his stint with AC Milan in the early 2000s.

When Ancelotti was asked if he found Bellingham similar to Alfredo di Stefano, Zinedine Zidane and Johan Cruyff, the coach replied: "I have never seen Di Stefano play. In the previous press conference I made the comparison with Zidane… and… well, I am surprised by him, I would say the closest thing is like the first time I saw Kaka. I’m not saying that he is similar to him, but he has similarities to Kaka."

While most coaches would have been ecstatic with the goalscoring trait of Bellingham, Ancelotti revealed that he is more of an admirer of the midfielder's work rate.

When asked if the former Borussia Dortmund player is their main goalscorer, Ancelotti said: "No, I don’t think we have ever asked Bellingham to score goals. He is doing it because he has this fantastic ability to reach the opponent’s area at the right time. The respect we have for him is for the work he does… not for the goals. He is greatly respected for what he does on the field, which goes far beyond goals. He is a humble and hardworking boy. Entering the Madrid dressing room is easy.”

Alarm bells started ringing at Valdebebas when Bellingham was spotted walking out of the training earlier than usual on Friday. It is known that the midfielder is carrying a shoulder injury that will require surgery at some point in the future but Ancelotti dismissed speculations about a potential injury and confirmed that he is available for selection.

"Bellingham is ready to play tomorrow. He has no problem, he is a little tired. He has a slight discomfort in his ankle and we have preferred to avoid contact. He will play tomorrow," he said.

Real Madrid will host Granada in a La Liga fixture on Saturday afternoon at Santiago Bernabeu.