Vinicius Jr claims he ‘texted Jude Bellingham almost every day’ urging him to join Real Madrid before his £113m switch… after the England star continued superb start with eighth goal in nine games against Napoli

• Jude Bellingham has been a huge hit at Real Madrid after netting eight times  
• Team-mate Vinicius Jr claims he texted him ‘almost every day’ asking him to join 
• Click HERE to listen to the latest episode of Mail Sport’s ‘It’s All Kicking Off’ 

Real Madrid star Vinicius Jr has claimed he played a key role in Jude Bellingham joining the club after his incredible start to the season.

Bellingham has netted eight times in nine games for Los Blancos and continued his remarkable goalscoring form by finding the back of the net in their 3-2 Champions League win over Napoli on Tuesday night.

The England midfielder has been a huge hit since his £113m move from Borussia Dortmund and his team-mates seem delighted to have him on their side after a number of top sides around the world had chased his signature – including Liverpool, Manchester City and Man United.

Star forward Vinicius revealed he had been pushing the player to join the Spanish giants during frequent text messages.

‘I wanted Jude at Real Madrid!’ Vinicus claimed, as reported by Fabrizio Romano.

Vinicius Jr has claimed he texted Jude Bellingham (left) almost every day to convince him to join Real Madrid

Bellingham continued his superb start to life at Real Madrid by scoring his eighth goal in nine games against Napoli

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‘I sent many messages to Bellingham last year. I was texting [him] almost every day and I was telling him: “Come to Madrid”.’

After the game, Bellingham returned the compliment to Vinicius as he he hailed their partnership and claimed he was among the best players in the world.

‘He’s probably the best in the world for me,’ Bellingham said. ‘He’s one of the most talented players I’ve ever played with.’ 

Following another glitzy display – include a stunning solo goal – Bellingham was compared to club legend Zinedine Zidane and even Diego Maradona, but the player was keen to downplay that high praise. 

Bellingham’s boss Carlo Ancelotti hailed the ‘dangerous’ partnership between the England star and Vinicius

‘That’s a bit too much!’ he said. ‘It was a nice goal. From what I’ve seen on YouTube and documentaries, his quality was a bit more than mine, or a lot more. I’m just trying to contribute in a Jude way.’

Speaking about Bellingham’s maturity, manager Carlo Ancelotti said he played like a 30-year-old despite only just turning 20. 

‘What’s surprising is he’s only 20,’ the Italian said. ‘It seems like he’s 30 with his character, his personality. He’s always focused, he knows what he has to do. That’s strange for a player who’s just 20. And then the quality he has, the physical strength.

‘Obviously it’s a bit surprising, it’s surprising everyone.’

On the partnership between Vinicius and Bellingham, he added: ‘We ask Vinicius to find the position where he feels best, on the outside or the inside, and Bellingham adapts,’ Ancelotti said. ‘I think they combined well, they have a lot of creativity. When we have them both together on the left, we’re dangerous.’ 

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