Jude Bellingham wreaking havoc for Real Madrid as stats show stunning transformation

The usual suspects have reached the landmark, with Harry Kane, Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe among those to have netted at least 10 times in 2023/24 already.

Serhou Guirassy and Lautaro Martinez are arguably two surprise inclusions in the exclusive club.

The sixth player to have achieved the feat however is not like the aforementioned quintet.

Jude Bellingham has been a revelation following his high profile summer move to Real Madrid. A midfielder by trade, the 20-year-old has been deployed in a more advanced role under Carlo Ancelotti and he has blossomed. We're a week into November and this season is already Bellingham's most prolific.

There was already considerable pressure on Bellingham's young shoulders when he opted to swap Borussia Dortmund for the Bernabeu and he only added fuel to the fire when he elected to take on Zinedine Zidane's famous number five shirt.

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As previously mentioned, Bellingham has been operating in a more advanced role under Ancelotti. While at Borussia Dortmund, the England international was often deployed as one of the two deeper-lying midfielders in a 4-2-3-1 system, Ancelotti has favoured a 4-3-1-2 setup at the Bernabeu this season with Bellingham given the freedom to wreak havoc in the final third.

This is not only reflected in the number of league goals Bellingham has scored this season, but the underlying numbers too.

Accoring to WhoScored. the youngster has seen the number of shots per 90 increase from 2.2 last season to 2.6 in 2023/24, while key passes per 90 have also risen from 1.1 to 1.7. With fewer defensive responsibilities, the number of tackles per 90 meanwhile have dropped from 2.5 to 1.5.

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Bellingham is still working hard off the ball, noted in that he also ranks third for possession won in the attacking third (13) in La Liga, but he's maximising his energy to put opponents to the sword.

This is evident in that the number of touches per 90 Bellingham is taking in the opposition box has risen from 4.0 to 5.2. The English midfielder is a far greater presence in the penalty area, and this means that nine of his 10 goals have come from inside the area.

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He's an attacking midfielder with a poacher's instinct and three of those nine have come inside the six-yard box, ranking fourth in Europe's top five leagues this season.

Furthermore, of the 65 players to have attempted 25 or more shots, only Guirassy (43.8 per cent) has a better conversion rate than Bellingham (37 per cent) across Europe's big five divisions in the 2023/24 campaign.

However, his game hasn't been just about goals. While Bellingham does have just two league assists to his name, that's down to his teammates' profligacy.

As mentioned, key passes per 90 are up, while a return of four accurate through balls ranks second in LaLiga and sixth across Europe. He has that eye for a defence splitting pass, so he's utilising his new role to not only appear in the penalty area more frequently, but pry apart backlines too.

What's most impressive though is Bellingham's adaptation to not only a new team in a new league, but also in a new role. Real Madrid remain a work in progress following Karim Benzema's departure, and that has brought upon the change in setup from Ancelotti.

And yet Bellingham has made an effortless transition from the Bundesliga to LaLiga, and from a deeper midfielder to a number 10.

Real Madrid are a side that has been blessed with the best number 10s in world football in years gone by. Zidane, Luis Figo, Raul and Mesut Ozil have all thrived in such a pressure-heavy environment. Rather than be weighed down by the burden of playing such a key role for football's most recognisable team, Bellingham has shown an elite mentality to make the step up look easy.