Real Madrid kept their perfect La Liga start intact on Tuesday (September 23) with a 4-1 thrashing of Levante UD at the Estadio Ciudad de Valencia.
Vinicius Junior and Franco Mastantuono found the net in the first half, while Kylian Mbappe bagged a brace in the second to maintain Madrid’s lead at the top of the table.
Los Blancos have now won six of six in the league and remain unbeaten in all competitions, following their win over Olympique Marseille in the Champions League last week.
Among many positives from the evening for Xabi Alonso, one of the biggest would have undoubtedly been the return of Jude Bellingham, who made his first La Liga appearance of the season.
And one Real Madrid player in particular was left stunned by Bellingham’s show of quality as the England international came off the bench and enjoyed a bright 20-minute cameo in the second half.
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Mastantuono in awe of Bellingham’s brilliance
Mastantuono enjoyed a hugely memorable evening in Valencia on Tuesday, scoring his first goal for Real Madrid since joining the club from River Plate in the summer.
In doing so, he became the second-youngest player to score for Madrid in the league this century at 18 years and 40 days, just behind Endrick, who netted last season at 18 years and 35 days.
The Argentine international has started five straight games in all competitions, but his playing time is set to decrease now as Alonso works Bellingham back into the starting XI.
Madrid will likely consider a tactical shift to streamline Bellingham’s re-integration, moving from the three-man midfield of Aurelien Tchouameni, Fede Valverde and Arda Guler to a diamond system with Bellingham operating in an attacking role at the tip.
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Despite the competition for places, Mastantuono made clear just how highly he regards his teammate with lavish praise for the England No. 10.
“If we can play with twelve, all the better!” Mastantuono joked after the match.
“He’s an amazing player! Bellingham is amazing, amazing. A player who impressed me, a great person and a unique footballer.
“Honestly, I say that I have never seen a player like him: a lot of hierarchy, presence on the field. Hopefully, he can play as soon as possible, because he’s going to help us a lot.
When asked which player has impressed him most since his breakthrough at Madrid, the 18-year-old doubled down.
“Bellingham, Bellingham,” he said. “That's why I just said: it has a presence and a hierarchy that I have never seen before. His calmness and grit make him a different player.”
Both Bellingham and Mastantuono will be in action this weekend as Los Blancos travel to the Metropolitano for a fiery Madrid derby against Atletico Madrid, who are suffering a poor start to their league campaign with just one win from their opening five matches.
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