Burkina Faso
Czech Republic
Indonesia
Lithuania
Montenegro
Nigeria
North Macedonia

Meet the football pundit who has become one of Real Madrid's most powerful men

talksport.com, 5 May 2023, 06:52
Any fans disappointed not to see Jude Bellingham return to the Premier League have one man to thank.

The Borussia Dortmund superstar appears to be leaning strongly towards a move to Real Madrid, ending a potential Erling Haaland reunion at Manchester City and a terrifying era of dominance.

Advertisement

Instead, talkSPORT understands Madrid are confident of winning the race for the England international, beating City and other Premier League sides to the punch and bolstering their already incredible stock of young talent.

But winning races in the transfer market is something Madrid have recently become accustomed to, even with the riches of the Premier League making them seemingly unmatched.

Advertisement

That's thanks to their chief scout Juni Calafat, who was working as a TV pundit just a decade ago.

Born in Spain to a Brazilian mother, the now 50-year-old spent much of his youth in South America, which gave him the opportunity to become a Brazilian football pundit on Spanish TV.

Later joining Real Madrid in 2014, he quickly climbed the ranks to be the third-most important person and the world's biggest sports team, despite still being little-known outside of the club.

His successes in the transfer market have been extraordinary, particularly with those from Brazil, landing both Vinicius Jr and Rodrygo ahead of rivals Barcelona.

Advertisement

Advertisement

And now he's being crucial once again with Bellingham, as Spanish football journalist Graham Hunter told talkSPORT.

"I heard you talking about Brighton and [director] David Weir, well this is all about Spain's version of David Weir.

"I don't know if you remember with young Neymar, Real Madrid signed him first before he changed his mind and went to Barcelona.

Advertisement

"Madrid's president Florentino Perez absolutely threw his toys out the pram and brought in this man Juni Calafat.

"Since then they've brought in Vinicius, Rodrygo, and Endrick is the new guy coming from Brazil. There's also [Eder] Militao, [Eduardo] Camavinga, [Aurelien] Tchouameni, this guy Juni Calafat has been brought into the Bellingham move.

"It looked like City all the way, Real Madrid wanted Bellingham for many, many months but really no one here thought they'd be able to outbid City.

Advertisement

"It's the case that City will pay more, but Madrid want Bellingham and they've got money.

They didn't get [Kylian] Mbappe, they didn't get Haaland - they were beaten to those. They haven't been spending big, they've been rebuilding the squad and Bellingham fits into that team and makes them look like a trophy-winning machine for years to come."

Calafat's importance in landing Vinicius Jr and Rodrygo are highlighted by the personal touches he possesses.

Regular trips to visit players and their families helped him land Vinicius.

Advertisement

Then made an impression on his mum by giving her vouchers to spend at a high end Madrid department store when her luggage went missing on a family visit to the capital for the first time.

He also influenced Rodrygo to move to the capital, despite 'everything being signed with Barca' after a crucial talk with the player's father.

That seems to be the tactic again with Bellingham, whose dad Mark met Madrid officials in London on Monday, and his son is now open to the move.

Advertisement

There will likely still be twists and turns in the pursuit of one of the most promising young talents England has ever produced, but Madrid have a clear ace up their sleeve, much to the delight of those worried about an uncompetitive Premier League.

Show more

Top News

15 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Still licking their wounds from their Champions League exit, Feyenoord return to action in the Eredivisie when they journey to the De Grolsch Veste to take on FC Twente on Sunday. 15 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool are reportedly expected to face competition from Serie A side Juventus for Bournemouth left-back Milos Kerkez in the summer transfer window. 14 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Moreirense will look to end their winless run when they host bottom-placed Boavista on Sunday in round 26 of the Primeira Liga. 14 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Fresh off their Champions League exit in midweek, Benfica shift focus to the Primeira Liga as they travel to Rio Ave for a matchday 26 encounter in search of respite. 14 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has insisted that he is calm about his future at Anfield despite speculation he could leave the club for free at the end of the season. 14 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Fresh off a disappointing Conference League round of 16 exit, Vitoria de Guimaraes shift focus back to the Primeira Liga as they welcome Estrela Amadora for a matchday 26 clash, aiming to find some respite. 14 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Stade de la Mosson is set to host a relegation six-pointer on Sunday when Montpellier HSC take on Saint-Etienne in Ligue 1. 14 March 2025 talksport.com James Carragher has been handed his first international call-up ahead of the upcoming World Cup qualifiers. 14 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Buoyed from sealing their place in the Europa League quarter-finals, Athletic Bilbao will be looking for another positive result when they travel to the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan for Sunday's La Liga contest. 14 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Champions Bayer Leverkusen have no option but to win on Sunday when they travel to MHPArena to play Stuttgart in their 26th Bundesliga game of the season. 14 March 2025 talksport.com Lamine Yamal could not hide his excitement as he watched his favourite WWE superstars in the flesh. 14 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk VfL Bochum's push for survival in the Bundesliga continues on Sunday at Vonovia Ruhrstadion when they host Champions League hopefuls Eintracht Frankfurt. 14 March 2025 talksport.com Ant and Dec's dog has predicted the outcome of this weekend's Carabao Cup final - and it's bad news for Liverpool fans. 14 March 2025 talksport.com Cristiano Ronaldo made his feelings known after being substituted against Al Kholood on Friday night. 14 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Riding high and undefeated in Ligue 1, Paris Saint-Germain seek their 52nd Le Classique victory against second-placed Marseille in Sunday's gameweek 26 fixture at Parc des Princes. 14 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool lock horns with Newcastle United under the famous arch of Wembley Stadium for the 65th EFL Cup final on Sunday afternoon. 14 March 2025 talksport.com Jhon Duran enjoyed a turbulent first half for Al Nassr in his side's 3-1 win over Al Kholood on Friday night. 14 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Italy head coach Luciano Spalletti has named his 25-man squad for this month's UEFA Nations League quarter-final tie against Germany. 14 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk A mismatch in terms of EFL Cup trophies won, Liverpool and Newcastle United do battle in the 2024-25 showpiece event at Wembley on Sunday afternoon, where either an all-time record or agonising drought will be extended. 14 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Newcastle United will be looking to end a 56-year wait for silverware when they take on Liverpool in the EFL Cup final at Wembley on Sunday afternoon. 14 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United travel to the King Power Stadium at the weekend to take on Leicester City, looking for their fourth victory of the season against the Foxes. 14 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Leicester City host Manchester United in the Premier League on Sunday evening, with the Foxes desperately needing a win to boost their chances of survival in the top division. 14 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal will be aiming to move to within 12 points of Premier League leaders Liverpool when they host Chelsea on Sunday afternoon. 14 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Eyupspor will be the guest of Goztepe SK in their Turkish Super Lig gameweek 28 fixture at the Gursel Aksel Stadium on Sunday. 14 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Getafe will be bidding to build on their excellent win over Atletico Madrid last time out when they continue their La Liga campaign with an away fixture against Osasuna on Sunday night. 14 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Leicester City boss Ruud van Nistelrooy faces his former club this weekend, as Manchester United travel to the King Power Stadium on Sunday to face the Foxes. 14 March 2025 talksport.com William Gallas has given a brutal assessment of Mikel Arteta's attempts to end Arsenal's league title drought. 14 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal have allegedly earmarked Espanyol defender Omar El Hilali as a possible target for the summer transfer window. 14 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Real Sociedad will be aiming to bounce back from a heavy defeat to Manchester United in the Europa League when they continue their La Liga campaign with a contest against Rayo Vallecano on Sunday evening. 14 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Reims travel to Brest in Ligue 1 this weekend, looking to distance themselves from the relegation zone in the standings.