Jude Bellingham reveals the one word Real Madrid stars can’t stop saying ahead of Champions League clash with Arsenal
Jude Bellingham has given a huge hint as to what the mood in the Real Madrid camp is like ahead of their clash with Arsenal by revealing the one word that his side can’t stop saying.
The Spanish giants are facing a mountain to climb in the Champions League quarter-final second leg after losing 3-0 in north London last Tuesday, set up by two impressive Declan Rice free-kicks.
The reigning champions are now at risk of falling at the last-eight stage, and will need something special to overturn the deficit under the lights at the Bernabeu.
The Spanish giants are facing a mountain to climb in the Champions League quarter-final second leg after losing 3-0 in north London last Tuesday, set up by two impressive Declan Rice free-kicks.
The reigning champions are now at risk of falling at the last-eight stage, and will need something special to overturn the deficit under the lights at the Bernabeu.
But the England star is confident in his team’s ability, and even gave reporters ahead of the game an insight into how that has manifested in the Los Blancos camp.
On the most-used word in the Real Madrid changing room since being beaten by Arsenal, he replied: ‘”Remontada”. Honestly, I’ve heard it about a million times since last week, I’ve seen a million videos online, made by fans, made by you guys. Really motivating stuff.’
Remontada is a Spanish word that has now become almost synonymous in football with anytime a team pulls off a massive comeback against the odds, in particular a clash between PGS and Barcelona in 2016-17.
A Round of 16 clash between PSG and Barcelona is known as “La Remontada” after the Catalan giants somehow overturned a 4-0 first leg defeat to win 6-5 on aggregate.
During the game, Barca twice scored in added time in one of the most iconic games in the competition’s history, with Sergi Roberto putting the finishing touches in the 95th minute after a masterful display by Neymar.
“Remontada” was also bellowed by Antonio Rudiger to fans at the Bernabeu after beating Alaves on the weekend.
‘The last few days, it is one of the worst results we could possibly imagine,’ said Bellingham.
‘For some reason, one thinks it is nailed on that we will come back. It is a nice feeling. It means there is a lot of trust in the talent. It means you are at a club that has put a lot of effort and invested in the world.
‘That is what it represents and signifies to me. There is a pressure that comes along with that for sure.
‘We want to deliver on what everyone thinks that we can come back. That is obviously the goal for us. There is pressure about it. That is what it is all about.’
He also claimed that he and his teammates knew they could turn over Arsenal on the coach back to the hotel from their Emirates defeat.
He added: ‘For us, it (believing in a comeback) was pretty much immediate. By the time we were back in the coach, we were not all in good spirits, obviously, but realised that we could still be in the competition.’
Carlo Ancelotti also warned Arsenal of a ‘remontada’ over the weekend ahead of the clash.
‘Remontada? We will try. It happened many times. We will try until the last minute.’
Real Madrid come into the game on Wednesday off the back of a less-than-straightforward 1-0 win over Deportivo Alaves, with both sides reduced to 10, while Arsenal were held to a 1-1 draw at home to Brentford.
Ancelotti on Tuesday also called on his players to show ‘balls’ in a bid to overcome the Gunners.
Ancelotti said: ‘The fans are going to be very important. We have to play with our heads, our hearts… our balls.’
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