Why are Real Madrid spending €100 million on Jude Bellingham?

The 19-year-old is now the most expensive teenager in history

Spanish giants Real Madrid are on the verge of signing an English teenage prodigy from Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga for approx. €100 million this week. They've reached an agreement with the German club after a successful season in the Bundesliga, where he was named the Player of the Year and helped Dortmund finish runners-up.

Jude Bellingham will become the sixth Englishman in football history to play for Real Madrid after completing his medical tests and formally signing for the club this week. 

Now the question remains: why have Real Madrid made Jude Bellingham their record signing for over €100 million?

While Jude Bellingham is certainly the most expensive transfer for Madrid this year, he's not the most expensive signing in the club's history. Real Madrid have never been afraid to spend big money to get a coveted player, and they've created their brand around having "Galacticos' in their teams. This essentially refers to club president Florentino Perez assembling the biggest stars in football to play for his team while paying huge transfer fees.

Some of the biggest names signed for the Los Blancos have included Zinedine Zidane, David Beckham, Kaka, Gareth Bale, Cristiano Ronaldo, etc., and Jude Bellingham has been added to the list.

The former Birmingham City youngster now features as the second most expensive signing in their history.

His growth in status and performance has made him coveted by top clubs across Europe, including Real Madrid, for the past few years. He's recently been awarded the Bundesliga Player of the Year for his performances across the season. Jude Bellingham was ranked among the most physically fit and dominant players in the league, with some outstanding statistics to match the eye test.

The 19-year-old featured in the top 10 for sprints (861) and intensive runs (2473) while also covering the most distance (322 km) amongst teammates. He also led the league in competing for the ball and won a league-high 482 duels across the season. In addition to his physical attributes, he's versatile across the pitch and can play in any position in midfield. Jude Bellingham has also scored a lot of crucial goals and finished the season with a career-high eight goals as well as four assists.

The list of accomplishments has been quite remarkable for a 19-year-old teenager who's managed to capture the attention of the world in his three seasons with Dortmund. Last year, he finished second in the rankings for the 2022 Golden Boy award, with his new Real Madrid teammate Camavinga coming in third place.

The Spanish giants are also in a summer of transition, with huge pillars of their past success no longer there at the club. The likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Casemiro, and Ramos left a couple of years ago, and 2022 Ballon d'Or winner and club captain Karim Benzema is also leaving this summer after winning a record 25 trophies.

Additionally, the midfield maestro duo of Luka Modric and Toni Kroos will be playing their final year in midfield for the Galacticos. Hence, with the addition of Jude Bellingham this summer and the likes of Camavinga, Tchouameni, and Valverde already at the club, the Real Madrid midfield puzzle now looks complete for the foreseeable future.