In a tearful post-match interview, Jude Bellingham labelled Real Madrid’s 2-0 UEFA Champions League final victory over Borussia Dortmund as the “best night of my life”. The England midfielder added he “can’t believe” the triumph, as he added to the league trophy already picked up in his groundbreaking debut season at the club. Madrid have now won six Champions League trophies in 11 years.
An emotional Jude Bellingham declared Real Madrid’s UEFA Champions League final victory over Borussia Dortmund the “best night of my life”, as the Spanish champions accumulated their sixth European title in 11 years.
Bellingham, who scored 23 goals from midfield in a sensational debut season for the club, was crucial throughout his side’s passage to the final at Wembley.
In a tearful post-match interview with TNT Sports, Bellingham expressed his gratitude to the efforts of his family on route to becoming a professional footballer, saying that nights like this make adversity worth it.
“Always dreamed of playing in these games and, you know, you go through life and so many people tell you you can’t do things,” he said. “Days like today just remind you.
“It gets a bit hard at times and you wonder if it’s worth it and all those kind of things. Nights like tonight make you realise.
“I was alright until I saw my mum and dad’s face there, the amount of nights where they could be at home by seven o’clock and they’re doing trips at 11, 12 at night to take me to football. My little brother who I try to be a role model for, I can’t put it into words. It’s the best night of my life.”
Dortmund were dominant in the first half at Wembley but the Bundesliga outfit failed to capitalise on multiple chances, most notably through Karim Adeyemi, who raced through on goal before rounding Thibaut Courtois. The forward, however, made his angle too acute and was sheparded wide by the recovering defence.
That opened the door for Madrid to pull off a trademark Champions League victory, scoring twice in the second half through Daniel Carvajal and Vinicius Junior to reclaim the European title from 2022-23 winner Manchester City.
When asked if the triumph caps off the perfect debut season for Bellingham at the Bernabeu, the 20-year-old responded: “It has got to be up there”.
As well as picking up their 15th Champions League title, Madrid also captured La Liga with relative ease, finishing 10 points above second-placed Barcelona.
Bellingham, who was voted La Liga player of the season, has been instrumental to his side’s efforts with electrifying performances, culminating in over 30 goal contributions [all competitions] in just his first season for the club – including an assist for Vinicius Jnr’s goal in the Wembley final.
The midfielder earmarked Madrid’s Copa del Rey defeat to Atletico Madrid the only disappointment in an otherwise flawless campaign.
“We missed out on the Copa del Rey, that’s the only disappointing thing I suppose,” he said. “There’s many more years to try and get that one but I can’t have dreamt much better than this.
“I’m so grateful to my team-mates, staff, family, physios. This is a massive team effort. I can’t believe it.