Mourinho wants the World Cup version of Real Madrid superstar next season

Jude Bellingham has been one of England’s standout performers at the World Cup, rediscovering the form that first made him a star at Real Madrid.

Now, according to Mundo Deportivo, that is exactly the version of the midfielder that Jose Mourinho wants to build around when he takes charge of the Spanish giants.

The Portuguese coach sees Bellingham as an attacking midfielder, operating behind the striker, where his ability to arrive late in the box and influence the game can have the greatest impact.

A return to his best position

It was Carlo Ancelotti who initially deployed Bellingham in that advanced role after his arrival at Real Madrid, a decision that proved hugely successful during the 2023/24 season.

Playing close to goal, the England international became one of the team’s decisive players and played a major role in the club’s success.

However, that version of Bellingham gradually disappeared.

A shoulder injury interrupted his momentum, and both Ancelotti and later Xabi Alonso and Alvaro Arbeloa began using him in a deeper midfield position, moving him further away from the opposition penalty area.

England showing the way

Mourinho believes that England are once again demonstrating where Bellingham can be at his most influential.

Operating as an attacking midfielder, the 23-year-old has combined creativity with an impressive goal threat, scoring four goals during the World Cup.

Following his match-defining brace against Mexico in the Round of 16, the Englishman now has four goals and an assist to his name at the tournament.

His performances have reinforced the Portuguese coach’s belief that Bellingham is most effective when given the freedom to play closer to the forwards.

Part of Mourinho’s tactical plan

Even before Bellingham’s outstanding displays for England, Mourinho had already planned to use him behind Kylian Mbappe.

The coach’s tactical idea is to position Bellingham in the line of three attacking midfielders ahead of a double pivot, allowing him to support the striker while arriving from deep to create and finish chances.

His performances at the World Cup have only strengthened Mourinho’s conviction that this is the ideal system to bring back the very best version of Bellingham at Real Madrid next season.

France captain Kylian Mbappe has launched a scathing attack against Paraguayan Senator Celeste Amarilla following a wave of derogatory and racist insults directed at him.

The public fallout comes directly after France secured a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Paraguay in a highly volatile 2026 FIFA World Cup Round of 16 clash.

Amarilla’s racist remark

The controversy ignited on social media when Senator Amarilla attacked Mbappe’s sportsmanship and identity.

Angered by claims that Mbappe ignored a post-match handshake from Paraguayan goalkeeper Orlando Gill, Amarilla posted:

“This brute hasn’t even learned to write; instead of mother’s milk, he sucked on coconuts, and the most educated thing he heard were chimpanzees.”

She aggressively escalated her rhetoric in subsequent posts, writing that Mbappe is “a colonized Cameroonian pretending to be French,” while adding, “The only thing many of us blame Albirroja for is not giving him a slap in the face at the end of the match.”

Mbappe strikes back

Refusing to stay silent, Mbappe issued a scathing, direct counter-attack to the politician’s remarks. The Real Madrid and France forward posted on X:

“Madame Celeste Amarilla, You are a despicable woman and unworthy of your position. You do not represent Paraguay, that country which has sweated passion and honour throughout the competition.”

Calling out the Paraguayan senator for her blatant racism, he added: “Through your recklessness and your brazen racism, the entire world has already forgotten the journey and the historic effort that your players accomplished during this World Cup, making way for an incompetent woman who gives the worst possible image of her country.

“I will never allow people like her the freedom to spread their hatred and racism across the world.”

Fallout from Paraguay-France ugliness

The ugly off-pitch dispute mirrors the intense bad blood that defined the match in Philadelphia. The game was dictated by Paraguay’s aggressive, physical “dark arts” defensive tactics.

Mbappe, who scored the game’s decisive 70th-minute penalty, was routinely hacked down by defenders, leading to severe post-match friction.

Tempers ultimately boiled over at the final whistle when Gill threw a football at Mbappe’s back after the forward ignored a handshake attempt from the goalkeeper.

Following their win over Paraguay, France, led by Mbappe, will face Morocco in the quarter-finals of the World Cup.

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