TWO of England’s most expensive football stars go head to head in tomorrow night’s Champions League final. One is considered to be the best footballer in the world and the other a trouble-maker on the pitch. Jude Bellingham , 20, more than justified the £88million transfer fee Real Madrid paid for him by scoring 23 goals this season and earning player of the year awards.
But that was not the case for Jadon Sancho , who was banished to Manchester United’s youth set- up last autumn despite the club shelling out a whopping £73million for his services. But Jadon, who has been accused of being stroppy and not training properly, now has the opportunity for one of the greatest comeback stories in football history. The 24-year-old winger will step out at Wembley for underdogs Borussia Dortmund , where he is currently on loan and uncertain about where he will be next season.
Just three years ago both talents were on the subs’ bench for England in the Euro 2020 final. But manager Gareth Southgate hasn’t selected Jadon for his squad in this summer’s Euros while Bellingham is certain to start in the tournament’s games. Here we look at how the two attackers took such different paths.
ON the face of it, this son of a policeman from Stourbridge in the West Midlands could not be more different to his big-match rival Jadon Sancho. Jude Bellingham’s Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti described him as “serious, professional and mature”. He is the favourite to win this yea.
