The Kopa Trophy was presented to the former Blues midfielder for his outstanding year with Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid during Monday’s awards ceremony in Paris.
Rio Ferdinand has asserted that Manchester United missed a significant opportunity to acquire Jude Bellingham from Birmingham City because they didn’t offer him a chance to play in the first team.
Since his rise through the youth ranks at Birmingham City, the 20-year-old has become a global football sensation. He recently scored two goals in his debut El Clásico match for his new club, Real Madrid, bringing his total to 13 goals in 13 games across all competitions this season.
Bellingham’s remarkable performances for Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid earned him the 2023 Kopa Trophy at the Ballon d’Or awards, recognizing the world’s best player under 21. Lionel Messi won the top award, claiming his eighth Ballon d’Or title, while Bellingham is seen as a favorite to win the accolade next year, alongside Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe, who finished second and third this year.
Several Premier League clubs in England, including Manchester United, regret not making a more substantial effort to sign Bellingham when he left Birmingham in 2020. The then-teenager visited United’s Carrington training facilities and received advice from legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson but ultimately chose to move to Germany.
Former Manchester United defender Ferdinand now suggests that the club failed to secure a potential deal because they couldn’t guarantee Bellingham a spot in the first team. This led Bellingham to explore other options.
Ferdinand explained, “From what I heard, he wanted assurances about being a first-team player, and United wasn’t willing to provide those assurances, according to a reliable source. He wasn’t given the assurances he sought about being part of the first team, and he said, ‘You know what, I know my value, and if you don’t value me the way I see myself, I’ll have to move on to another club.'”
The irony of Ferdinand’s claims is underscored by Manchester United’s summer signings, where they spent over £170 million on new recruits, and none have yet made a significant impact. The club currently sits in eighth place in the Premier League and was eliminated from the Carabao Cup with a 3-0 defeat to Newcastle on Wednesday evening.
Ferdinand believes that Bellingham’s decision to reject a bit-part role at Old Trafford has been fully justified, saying, “He has gone and proven himself, and he has turned around and said, ‘I told you guys, you didn’t believe in me, did you?'”