In the Real Madrid home vs Manchester City match that ended this morning, it can be said to be the most eye-catching game of this Champions League so far, not only because the two sides are the two strongest teams in the five major leagues, but also because each team has a popular superstar worth up to 180 million, Bellingham and Haaland. As the only 3 superstars worth 180 million euros at that time, these two have always been hailed as the most powerful candidates for the future Golden Globe Award, but unfortunately, when facing the best stage of superstars, the two each handed over an embarrassing answer ticket.
In this game, the 23-year-old Norwegian Haaland played 90 minutes, as the team's main center forward, he only completed one shot on goal, which was really disappointing, and after the game, the Manchester Evening News, which has always protected his shortcomings, gave him Manchester City's lowest 5 points, tied with midfielders Rodri and Kovacic. Under the watchful eye of Real Madrid veteran Rudiger, Haaland seems to have lost the weakness of the devil and turned into a mediocre 'earthling'.
This performance has also earned him a lot of media criticism, such as Dutch midfield superstar Van der Vaart: just say that he is only a goalkeeper at the moment. Once the opponent jams his passing lanes and appoints experienced veterans to harass him all over the court, he can only fall into invisibility. That was the case against Acerby in the Champions League final, Van Dijk at Liverpool and today it's Rudiger's turn to educate him face-to-face.
Van der Vaart believes that if Haaland can't develop better back-to-back and off-ball running, then his $180 million worth will only make him a joke. Even the bomber Muller, who is evaluated as a goalkeeper, actually has a very good ability to grab points and run positions, and a superstar with such a single function has become the world's most valuable player, which is a mockery of modern football.
Despite being a midfielder, Bellingham is in a similar situation. He also played the full 90 minutes, as a midfielder had five attempts, three successful, and only one shot was off target. When dribbles and shots don't play to their power, Bellingham has lost possession a whopping nine times and made 27 passes a bit embarrassing.
Objectively speaking, Bellingham's stats are not like the core of the midfield like the midfield, but more like a point-grabbing striker. In City's tight formation, he seemed to be a headless fly, unable to find a suitable place on the pitch and not knowing what to do. In contrast, Modric, who came on as a substitute in this game, quickly used his own organization and passing to smooth out Real Madrid's attack after coming on the field. Obviously, if Real Madrid fans were given a choice, they would have preferred Modric, who is five years younger, than Bellingham, who is 20 years younger.
In fact, in today's football, players generally lack the ability to polish their skills because of the overemphasis on running ability and physical talent. Players like Erling Haaland and Bellingham could not have been able to reach the world's top value a few years ago. Against underdogs, they can rely on their physical talent to crush their opponents, but against teams of the same level, technical flaws are repeatedly revealed.
Back a few years ago, Mbappe was often joked about his rough skills, and compared with Messi Ronaldo, his basic skills were far from the same. But he and the two Haaland and Bellingham, who are also 180 million euros, seem to be superior in technology, at least in this offensive battle, he will definitely not be as invisible and playless as these two.
Perhaps, because of this, Real Madrid President Florentino will be waiting for Mbappe to join. For the current Real Madrid, the only thing missing is a real superstar who dares to show his sword and can seal the opponent with a sword in the game of strong dialogue, and in today's football, only Mbappe can deserve this evaluation.