Emmanuel Petit, the former World Cup winner with France, has sent a direct message to Jude Bellingham and his coach Jose Mourinho. He wants the leadership shown by the English star at the 2026 World Cup harnessed within Real Madrid, alongside Kylian Mbappe.
The scorer of France's third goal in the 1998 final urged Mourinho to build the new season around Bellingham and Mbappe as true leaders, stressing that the club must rebuild its collective identity.
Bellingham's displays at the 2026 World Cup earned Petit's praise, and he insisted the anger and ambition on show during the tournament must carry over to Real Madrid.
Goal quoted the former Arsenal and Chelsea star as saying: "This is the version of Bellingham I want to see on the pitch. He played like a lion, and showed a leadership personality on and off the pitch."
He added: "He was under enormous pressure, and don't forget that some doubted months ago whether he deserved to join the England squad for the World Cup, so he had something to prove."
The numbers backed it up. Bellingham finished the World Cup as the top-scoring midfielder with seven goals, an unprecedented figure for any midfielder in a single edition of the tournament.
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"If I were a Real Madrid fan, I would tell Bellingham and Mbappe: this is the level we want to see from you both," Petit added. "The expectations are very high next season."
He predicted Mourinho would hold a private session with the pair, saying: "He will tell them: this is what I expect from you, go out onto the pitch and be the team's leaders."
Mbappe recovers his humility
Mbappe's tournament drew similar praise, with Petit believing the France captain had rediscovered his humility and leadership spirit.
He said: "We saw the Mbappe we knew at the start of his career, humble, close to his teammates and his coach, and a leader on the pitch."
Ten goals crowned Mbappe as the World Cup's top scorer and made him its all-time leading scorer. Petit warned that this would only raise the ceiling of expectation on his return to Real Madrid.
He explained: "Real Madrid's fans saw what he did with the France national team, and they will expect him to lead the team on and off the pitch, as Cristiano Ronaldo and many of the club's legends did."
Petit finished by insisting Mourinho must build a team that relies on collective work, not individual flashes. He added: "Real Madrid cannot always rely on the brilliance of Mbappe or Vinicius. Spain and Paris Saint-Germain have proven over the past two seasons that the strength of the team is more important than individuals, even if you have the best players."
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