High praise doesn’t come much higher than this. Former Real Madrid left-back Fran García has declared Jude Bellingham the best player on the planet right now — and given what we’ve watched unfold at the Bernabéu over the opening weeks of the 2026/27 season, it’s hard to argue with him.
What Was Said
García, who has since moved on from Madrid and now lines up for Real Betis, spoke to Diario AS ahead of Friday’s La Liga clash between the two clubs — a match that will see him face his former teammate for the first time as an opponent. And when Bellingham’s name came up, the full-back didn’t hold back.
“Bellingham is playing his best football. He’s more involved,” García told AS. “If he’s at this level, he’s the best in the world. Last season was strange at Real Madrid. I think the World Cup helped free him mentally. For me, this is actually his best period at Madrid, even better than his first season. It’s not just about goals anymore. He has a much bigger influence on the game.”
Those are remarkable words — especially coming from someone who trained alongside Bellingham day in, day out. García knows exactly what the 23-year-old is capable of, which makes the endorsement all the more meaningful.
The Numbers Back It Up
García’s glowing assessment isn’t coming out of nowhere. According to the source report, Bellingham has already chalked up direct contributions to four goals across Real Madrid’s opening La Liga fixtures of the new campaign. That kind of output so early in a season would turn heads on its own — but as García himself points out, the raw numbers only tell part of the story.
The England international, fresh from what the report describes as a stellar tournament at the World Cup on home soil, has carried that momentum straight back into club football. At 23, Bellingham is entering what many would consider the true prime of his career, and the signs are that he has genuinely evolved beyond the goal-hungry box-to-box force that lit up the Bernabéu during his debut campaign in Spain. His reading of the game, his ability to dictate tempo, and the sheer volume of touches he takes in critical areas of the pitch have all stepped up a level.
García’s observation that “it’s not just about goals anymore” is particularly telling. In his first season at the club, Bellingham’s prolific scoring was the headline act — but a player whose influence stretches across every phase of the game is arguably a far more dangerous proposition for opponents to deal with.
What This Means for Los Blancos
For Real Madrid supporters, this is the kind of news that makes the season feel genuinely exciting before it has even properly got going. When a player of Bellingham’s quality is described as being at his personal best — by someone who knows him intimately — it suggests the ceiling for this Madrid side could be very high indeed.
Historically, Real Madrid’s greatest seasons have been built on the shoulders of a generational midfielder firing on all cylinders. From Zidane gliding through opposition defences to Modric controlling games into his late thirties, Los Blancos have always known how to get the most out of a world-class engine in the middle of the park. If Bellingham is now evolving into that complete all-action midfield talisman, the rest of La Liga — and Europe — should be on notice.
The Betis fixture on Friday gives us the next opportunity to watch it all unfold, with García set to experience Bellingham’s current form from the opposing dugout’s perspective rather than the comfort of his own dressing room. Something tells us that might be a rather eye-opening afternoon for the former Madridista.
One thing is for certain: when ex-teammates start talking about you in terms like these, the hype is very much real. Bellingham looks like a man on a mission in 2026/27, and Madrid fans will be absolutely here for every minute of it.
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