England star Jude Bellingham makes unexpected Portsmouth comparison with prolific start at Real Madrid

Real Madrid star and England international Jude Bellingham has likened his Galacticos partnership with teammate Joselu to two Portsmouth legends of yesteryear.

John Mousinho's Pompey side may be a good few thousand miles away from the Spanish capital, and perhaps a few tiers lower than European giants Real Madrid, but clearly have a fan at the Bernabeu in Bellingham.

The 20-year-old former Birmingham City and Borussia Dortmund star completed one of the window's highest-profile transfers to Real Madrid this summer. The Spanish club forked out €103 million for the Englishman's services of the player, who has become one of the world's most exciting prospects.

Bellingham has hit the ground running at Real Madrid and helped the side to the top of the table once again having lost the league to Barcelona last season. The midfielder has scored in every La Liga game so far this term with five goals in four matches.

The star has struck up a friendship with fellow summer arrival Joselu and the 33-year-old Spaniard shared a photo of the two celebrating a goal late last month. In the comments, Bellingham showed a love for Portsmouth and wrote: "Crouchy x Defoe"

Likening the Madrid stars to the prolific Portsmouth duo of the 2008/09 season, thousands of fans flocked to like the comment with the unexpected reference to the League One club.

Some may laugh, but Bellingham and Joselu have a long way to go in order to match the prolific partnership between Peter Crouch and Jermaine Defoe at Fratton Park.

The two only spent half a season at the club at the same time, but it was a time full of goals. By December, the duo had 15 goals and six assists between them. In January, Defoe left for Spurs and that summer Crouch would follow him there, where the formidable duo would net 26 goals and pick up 13 assists over the course of a Premier League season.

As a young aspiring footballer, Bellingham no doubt looked up to the pair of former Pompey goalscorers, but the young midfielder has another reason to be fond of Portsmouth.

The star made his professional debut for Birmingham City at Fratton Park, earning his first professional appearance and becoming the Midlands' club's youngest-ever player.

That came at the age of 16 in 2019 during a Carabao Cup meeting between the two sides, which Portsmouth won 3-0.