Basically every single football fan (bar Barcelona fans) in the world was watching Saturday’s El Clasico hoping to see Jude Bellingham put in yet another remarkable performance, and boy did he deliver.
The England star proved to be the difference between Real Madrid and arch rivals Barcelona at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys, levelling the game in the 68th minute before winning it with a goal in the 92nd minute.
And while Bellingham was the star of the show for Los Blancos, there were a few other players who played pivotal roles in the crucial win.
Here were Real Madrid’s best and worst players from the game, as decided by 90min’s player ratings.
Jude Bellingham: 10/10
Yep, 10/10.
Despite doing basically nothing for the opening 68 minutes of the game – thanks to the man-marking job done on him by Gavi – Bellingham more than earned his perfect rating with the best goal and then the most important goal of his career so far.
The best goal of his career to date came when, after finally getting a moments peace from Gavi, he cannoned the ball into the top corner of the net from fully 25-yards out.
The most important goal of his career to date came in stoppage-time, when he was able to steal in behind Inigo Martinez in the six-yard box to tap home the winning goal in his first ever El Clasico.
Bellingham’s brace of goals were his ninth and tenth of the La Liga season already – and numbers 12 and 13 in all competitions – and there’s no doubting that he’s the best midfielder, and probably the best overall footballer, on the planet right now.
Honourable mention
Luka Modric: 8/10
Without the introduction of Luka Modric on the hour mark, Real Madrid do not beat Barcelona on Saturday.
And while Bellingham will deservedly take all the credit for the win, Modric’s ability to wrestle control of the midfield off of Gavi and Ilkay Gundogan provided Bellingham with the platform to go and win the game.
Despite being 38 years old, there’s still no other player in the world that can do what the Croatian legend can do in the middle of the park. He’s a true all-time great.
Ferland Mendy: 4/10
Ferland Mendy wasn’t noticeably disastrous during his 52 minutes on the pitch, but the difference between what he brought to the team and what his replacement Eduardo Camvinga brought to the team was glaringly obvious.
Camavinga provided real enthusiasm and energy at left-back when he came on, dragging Madrid up the park with his powerful running down the flank. Mendy, on the other hand, barely ran the length of himself while he was on the pitch.
It’s pretty clear that Camavinga should be Madrid’s starting left-back moving forward, even if he doesn’t really want to be.
Dishonourable mention
Rodrygo Goes: 4/10
Carlo Ancelotti’s decision to completely overhaul Real Madrid’s tactical set-up to accommodate Jude Bellingham has been hugely successful, however it has had its victims.
Rodrygo is the most obvious one.
The Brazilian once again looked like a fish out of water as a striker this weekend, struggling to compete against a physical Barcelona backline.
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