The jury was already out at the end of last week. Real Madrid were so keen on the services of the still-only 19-year-old central midfielder Bellingham, they sent €103 million plus bonuses of up to 30% of the agreed transfer fee to Dortmund. The English international has signed a contract at the Santiago Bernabéu until 2029. The main reasons why the royal club are not afraid to put their trust in such an important position in the hands of a teenager are the player's versatility and unique mix of skills with and without the ball.

Bellingham can be simplistically imagined as someone who has been at the centre of all the action in Dortmund's midfield and final third. With the ball at his feet, he can cross a large area on his own, deliver it into a more dangerous area and then set up a chance for a teammate or get himself into the box. At the same time, he is invaluable when pressing, when after winning the ball, he can immediately break free from the grip of the opponent's players and create a chance.

In terms of data, the talented Englishman excels especially in advanced analytical models that assess a player's ability to increase a team's chances of scoring through runs and dribbling. In the middle of the park and in his own third, he was one of the best players in the Bundesliga last season, along with Konrad Laimer and Leipzig's Kevin Kampl, for example.

However, he outperformed both of these players with his movement in the final third, with only Christoph Baumgartner of Hoffenheim creating more dangerous scoring opportunities. Among the central midfielders, Bellingham went for the most dribbles into open space and his crosses were also the most effective according to the data. He rarely lost the ball when he was in possession,

He was not among the absolute elite in passing technique metrics, but he generally performed better than 90% of other midfielders. This was true of the contribution of passes in all thirds of the pitch, final passes, percentage of passes into the box, number of penetrating passes and other important attributes. In addition, his excellent movement allowed him to take dangerous shots himself. In terms of volume and quality, he was again one of the most active midfielders in the league.

In a more defensive role, he is not a typical ball-winning machine, but he reads the game well and can win the ball in important moments. He is particularly good at being active on the ball, and if he decides to intervene, he stops the opponent's action nine times out of ten.