Why Clásico could hinge on battle between Madrid's Bellingham and Barça's Pedri

Given that implicit 700 cardinal viewers volition ticker the latest instalment of the top shot fixture successful the satellite connected Sunday, it's due that 2 of El Clásico's stars are wherever they are due to the fact that of the powerfulness of TV, and however it magnifies the allure of Real Madrid and Barcelona (stream LIVE 10/26 connected ESPN+ (U.S.).

We are talking astir Jude Bellingham and Pedri. United by their value to their respective teams, the country of the transportation successful which they run (central midfield) and the information that each has an statement to beryllium considered the champion successful the satellite connected their day, determination are really much things which disagreement them.

They are antithetic nationalities; person utterly antithetic physiques; incomparable levels of strength, tallness and power; correspond rival clubs; are antithetic characters; and person antithetic trophy-winning records. But the brace are inactive indelibly linked by the information that they fell head-over-heels successful emotion with Madrid and Barcelona respectively erstwhile they were young, impressionable and watching connected TV portion dreaming of becoming Clásico heroes.

On Wednesday, Bellingham scored Madrid's decisive extremity successful the 1-0 victory against Juventus successful the UEFA Champions League astir precisely 2 years aft helium opened his European relationship for Los Blancos astatine the aforesaid extremity of the Bernabéu (against Union Berlin and with an adjacent greater magnitude of drama, arsenic helium struck a 94th-minute winner.)

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After that match, I interviewed him and helium opened our conversation, earlier the cameras were rolling, with the expression: "Oh! It's you!" He'd seen maine connected Sky TV's "Revista De La Liga" from 2002-2016, and truthful I should person known what was coming next. I asked him astir the box-office quality of his precocious match-winning extremity and helium said: "These are the moments, these are the nights which specifically made maine privation to travel and articulation Real Madrid. From erstwhile I was rather young, I had a tv successful my country and I retrieve watching Madrid truthful galore times get retired of situations truthful improbably; successful matches erstwhile you thought 'there's nary mode they tin bash this!' That's wherefore I'm here!"

And that is wherefore the then-Borussia Dortmund midfielder turned down Manchester City, and Pep Guardiola, erstwhile they made him their No. 1 transportation people successful summertime 2023, opting to determination to Madrid for an archetypal €103 cardinal instead.

Like David Beckham, Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale earlier him, he'd savored English football, but his affection, loyalty and ambition had been "stolen" by

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