England midfielder Jude Bellingham scored on his competitive Real Madrid debut as they began their La Liga season with victory at Athletic Bilbao.
The 20-year-old, who joined the Spanish giants for £88.5m from Borussia Dortmund this summer, got Real’s second when he volleyed in from close range.
He is the first English player to score in a competitive game for Real since David Beckham in 2007.
Rodrygo had opened the scoring with a near-post finish at San Mames.
In an impressive performance, Bellingham caught the eye early in the second half with a run from deep inside his own half, skipping between two Athletic players before racing to the edge of their box.
Bellingham played in all four of Real’s pre-season friendlies, scoring in a 2-0 win over Manchester United in Texas.
Former England and Manchester United midfielder Beckham also scored on his league debut for Real in 2003.
Real were runners-up in La Liga last season, finishing 10 points behind Barcelona.
“Bellingham is a fantastic kid, he displays quality, personality, he is a hard worker. He is just fantastic,” manager Carlo Ancelotti told Movistar Plus.
“He is very motivated to be here, he is a fantastic player and a very, very important signing.
“We were on fire and motivated, we had a very good collective commitment, attitude, won many challenges, worked together defensively, a clean sheet was positive… it was a complete game, a very high level first half and a second half of total control.” (BBC)
