Very attentive to the situation at Real Madrid, which he left last June to retire, Toni Kroos opened up about Jude Bellingham… the new leader of the team, who continues to shine both on and off the pitch.

Real Madrid has yet to fill the void left by Toni Kroos. A true playmaker for the Madrid side for years, the former German midfielder unexpectedly left Carlo Ancelotti’s team last season. After winning both La Liga and the Champions League, the 34-year-old chose to step away with his head held high. Now, the midfield at Real Madrid is in the hands of Jude Bellingham, Federico Valverde, and Aurélien Tchouaméni.

Kroos tells the truth about Bellingham

As usual after every important match played by the Merengues, Toni Kroos has shared his thoughts. Given the rather lackluster form of the Madrid team in recent weeks, the 2014 World Cup champion is often sought after for his opinion on what’s going wrong. Recently, the former Bayern Munich player didn’t mince words when expressing his admiration for Jude Bellingham, whom he believes is deeply concerned by the current situation at Real Madrid, who have already suffered five defeats in just a few months of competition.

For Kroos, the Madrid team should be grateful to have the 21-year-old English midfielder, who has the qualities of a great captain. He particularly spoke about Bellingham’s gesture towards Kylian Mbappé after his missed penalties against Liverpool and Athletic Bilbao. “I really liked it when he went to console Mbappé after his missed penalty. Real Madrid is lucky to have Jude Bellingham: he is a true captain. He is the player most affected by the recent losses. I played with him, and I know how he feels,” said the Madrid legend.

Jude Bellingham: A very expressive player

This is a nice gesture of support for Jude, who has been one of the players who hasn’t been holding back from the start. When things aren’t going well, he constantly makes it clear. During the loss to the Basques last Wednesday, Jude Bellingham didn’t hide his frustration with Kylian Mbappé, who made poor choices. As revealed by footage posted online after the Bilbao match, the former BVB player lost his temper with his French teammate after a bad decision.

After the match, it was a very affected Bellingham who was seen leaving Bilbao airport. In any case, his signs of protest or consolation cannot be criticised, as in these recent matches, he has been shining not only with goals but also with very generous performances that his other teammates have lacked. We will have to wait and see on Saturday if he will shine again against Girona in the 16th round of La Liga.