‘The greatest thing…’ – Italy legend heaps praise on Real Madrid rising star | OneFootball

Former Juventus and Italy star Alessandro Del Piero paid a visit to Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabeu earlier this week.

During the visit, the Italy legend sat down for a brief chat with the club’s official media channels and lavished great praise on one of the Merengues’ rising superstars in the form of Jude Bellingham.

The England international is enjoying a dream debut campaign at Real Madrid, both personally and with the team, and Del Piero hailed him for his personality, apart from the obvious contributions he makes on the pitch.

“The greatest thing, in addition to his physical and technical quality and the goal scorer he is, is his personality,” said Del Piero.

“Coming to a club as big as Real Madrid and playing with that personality and control of emotions and the game is incredible. It is something that impacts.”

Del Piero was full of praise for Bellingham. (Photo by Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images for Laureus)

The Juventus icon also had words of praise for his compatriot and current Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti, as he said:

“He is a very intelligent person, he listens a lot to the players and the staff. The best thing is that he creates a relationship in the ideal work environment to win many things.”

Del Piero then went on to discuss Real Madrid’s chances in the UEFA Champions League this season, following their victory over Manchester City in the quarterfinals, saying:

“Real Madrid has a lot of confidence after eliminating Manchester City in the quarterfinals and also has a very great history with the Champions League competition.”

The legendary footballer also reminisced about the standing ovation he had received from the Santiago Bernabeu crowd during his playing days and proceeded to thank the fans for the gesture.

“You don’t expect people to do that. It was crazy and one of the things I remember most fondly of my career. Now I have the opportunity again to say thank you,” he concluded.