Jude Bellingham has quickly become an iconic name at Real Madrid. Since moving to the Spanish capital in the summer of 2023, he has been a key cog in the system for Carlo Ancelotti’s side, most notably scoring a stunning winner away to bitter rivals Barcelona.
Kids across the city idolise him, buying his name and shirt number on the back of their jerseys. When Bellingham moved to Real Madrid, he chose to become the club’s number five. Traditionally, the number is used for defensive-minded players, but the Birmingham City prodigy is an exception.
He was unable to wear his beloved number 22, so he struck a compromise. Inspired by one of the greatest Real Madrid players of all time – Zinedine Zidane – we have outlined everything you need to know about the background story surrounding Bellingham’s kit number.
Why Bellingham is Real Madrid’s Number 5
His father used to have a Zidane shirt when he was younger
Bellingham wears the number five shirt to pay homage to Zidane. The legendary Frenchman made 227 appearances for the Galacticos, registering 49 goals and 67 assists. Most notably, he scored one of the greatest Champions League goals of all time in the 2002 final against Bayer Leverkusen.
Zidane also returned to Madrid as manager and won the Champions League three times in a row. A legend in every aspect, it makes sense that Bellingham wanted to honour his legacy in the Spanish capital, even if it was not his first choice. “There wasn’t much else left,” the midfielder said at the 2023 Ballon d’Or ceremony as he explained his decision.
“It adds a little bit of pressure, but I wanted to pay homage to one of my idols.”
However, there is also personal significance to Bellingham wearing the number five shirt. When he was growing up, his father – Mark Bellingham – had a Zidane shirt. “My father always wore a Real Madrid shirt around the house with ‘Zidane’ on the back, which is funny because, in a way, it has come full circle. He gave it to me when I arrived here in the summer,” Bellingham said via Talksport.
“He always wore it and I always told him: ‘Who is this guy you have on your shirt?’ And he always answered: ‘When you’re older, we’ll see him on YouTube.’ Now that I’m wearing number five, it has ended up being a pretty significant story. Really significant to me.”
Zinedine Zidane’s Best Season for Real Madrid vs Jude Bellingham’s Debut Campaign | ||
|---|---|---|
Stat | Zinedine Zidane | Jude Bellingham |
Season | 2002/03 | 2023/24 |
Age | 30 | 20 |
Games | 49 | 42 |
Goals | 12 | 23 |
Assists | 19 | 13 |
Honours | La Liga, UEFA Super Cup, Intercontinental Cup | La Liga, Champions League |
Why Bellingham Could Not Wear Number 22
Antonio Rudiger did not want to change
Bellingham’s original choice when he made the British record move to Real Madrid – which could reach £115m – was the number 22 shirt. However, that was taken by Antonio Rudiger. The German and former Chelsea centre-back did not want to lose his shirt number, even if Bellingham was one of the favourites for the Ballon d’Or.
The Birmingham City youngster always had a personal connection with the number 22 shirt as he wore it throughout his journey to the top of the spot. In 2021, Birmingham’s Head of Development, Mike Dodds, explained why he chose the number 22 as a kid.
“He would have been about 13 or 14 and like most boys that age, they want to be a no.10,” Dodds explained during an interview with Talksport. “I remember, we sat down with him and we said: ‘We think you’re doing yourself a disservice, we think you can do all of it’ [play as a 10, 8 and 4]. So we came up with: ‘We think you can be a 22’. His eyes lit up, and we knew he was hooked from then on!
“We said we thought he could be a holding midfielder, or a four. We thought he could be a box-to-box, which is an eight. And we thought he could be a scorer and a creator, so a 10.”
Add all those numbers up, and you get 22. Dodds’ comments turned out to be emphatically correct. Bellingham is known for his versatility, and he has made an instant impact at Real Madrid over the past two seasons. He scored 19 La Liga goals in his first campaign, whilst creating countless iconic memories in the number five shirt.
Stats via Transfermarkt. Correct as of 03/10/24.