Bellingham ‘top’ but Modric ‘still the best’, says Bjelica

BERLIN: Union Berlin coach Nenad Bjelica on Monday called Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham “a difference-maker” but said veteran Luka Modric was “still the best in the world” ahead of Tuesday´s clash.

Bellingham is returning to Germany for the first time since leaving Borussia Dortmund for the Spanish capital in the summer, having emerged as one of the biggest stars in world football.

The Englishman, still just 20, is La Liga´s top scorer this season with 12 goals, but the Croatian coach was well aware of all of Real´s midfield threats.

“He´s one of the best players in the world right now. He´s playing at the absolute top level” Bjelica said of Bellingham. “We respect him and we respect every player from Real Madrid. But for me as a Croatian, Luka Modric is still the best in the world.

“Bellingham is one of the biggest, he´s in top form, he scores goals, he´s a difference maker and is difficult to defend. It´ll be a big job for us to keep him under control tomorrow.”

Real winger Lucas Vazquez praised his teammate´s impact but said it was “too early to compare him” with some of the greats to pull on the famous white shirt.

“What a player... His start is impressive. We want to help him continue on that path for many years. “Hopefully he can come close to what Karim (Benzema) and Cristiano (Ronaldo) did.”