Jude Bellingham made Micah Richards' day in interview after Napoli 2-3 Real Madrid | OneFootball

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Real Madrid ace Jude Bellingham showed the love to footballer-turned-pundit Micah Richards following his side’s 3-2 victory over Napoli in the Champions League and his exchange with former Manchester City defender’s reaction is one for the ages.

The young Englishman, who has taken one of Europe’s greatest sides by the horns, was once again involved in the goals as Carlo Ancelotti and his men triumphed over last season’s quarter-finalists. The visitors found themselves behind around the 20-minute mark as Leo Ostigard opened the scoring in Naples.

But with Bellingham in the fold, there was no need to fret as the 20-year-old set up Vinícius Jr and then got in on the act with a stunning solo goal within seven minutes of each other as Madrid regained control. After the break, Piotr Zielinksi found the back of the net from the spot kick and the Poland international’s goal drew proceedings level.

A moment to top off an enthralling five-goal thriller came in the 78th minute as Federico Valverde’s thunderous shot ricocheted onto the back of a hapless Alex Meret’s head and into the back of the net. The full-time whistle blew and once again it was Bellingham earning the majority of the plaudits. And rightfully so.

Jude Bellingham and Micah Richards’ share heart-warming exchange

Post-match, the former Borussia Dortmund starlet spoke to CBS Sports, where renowned journalist Guillem Balague compared his skill set to two of panel, while a certain someone was painfully left out.

Both Arsenal and Barcelona legend Henry and Liverpool cult hero Carragher were on the CBS panel and were elated with Balague’s beaming comments, though Richards – who was sat aside the aforementioned duo – failed to get a mention.

Carragher and Richards proceeded to burst out in laughter, while Balague then went on to compare Bellingham’s threat from set pieces to Richards’.

Elated with his inclusion, the former City and Fiorentina man jovially asked why the rest of the panel were present and wondered why the show wasn’t called the ‘Meeks Show’; however, he did then declare that Bellingham is in line to become a future Ballon d’Or winner.

Carlo Ancelotti showers Jude Bellingham with praise

Since becoming a fabled, fully-fledged member of the Madridistas, Bellingham has been nothing short of revolutionary. In his nine opening outings, he has plundered eight goals and three assists, averaging 1.2 goal contributions per game thus far.

Especially from a midfield role, his initial return in Madrid threads is absurd, and he has all the tools to become one of England’s greatest players permitting his career stays on this upwards trajectory.

At such a tender age, signing for a club that size of Madrid for a mouth-watering fee of £88.5m is enough to disturb the peace for anyone, but not for Bellingham. The Birmingham-born ace epitomises the phrase ‘old head on young shoulders’ and is destined to achieve unthinkable things.

Following his goal, assist and Man of the Match performance against a strong Napoli outfit, Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti – unsurprisingly – had a few kind words to say about his industrious midfield operator.