Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti says Jude Bellingham did nothing wrong when trying to disrupt Harry Kane’s penalty preparations as the Spanish champions drew 2-2 with Bayern Munich in Germany.
Kane scored a crucial goal for Bayern from the spot at the Allianz Arena as the two giants of European football met in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final last week. But he had to put up with his England team-mate Bellingham chattering in his ear as he placed the ball on the spot.
Speaking ahead of the second leg at the Bernabeu tomorrow night, Ancelotti was asked if Bellingham had shown a lack of respect and said: ‘ Jude is a fantastic guy and he respects everybody. He has a really good relationship with Harry Kane for the England team. There is no problem between them.’
Kane will be Bellingham’s captain this summer at the European Championships in Germany. But on Wednesday night in Madrid, the two players will battle it out for a place in the Champions League final at Wembley.
Ancelotti – who has previously managed Bayern as well as Chelsea and Everton in the Premier League – has won the Champions League four times as a manager and twice as a player. At the weekend his team clinched a 36th La Liga title.
Carlo Ancelotti has leapt to the defence of Jude Bellingham after his penalty antics last week
Bellingham came under fire for trying to distract Harry Kane while taking his penalty for Bayern Munich against Real Madrid
Asked about his secrets, the great Italian said: ‘Today is one of those days when you work to live. There is such excitement. That’s a great motivation to keep going. Today we have to enjoy this.
‘Tomorrow will be more difficult. Before the game I will be a bit worried. But to prepare for another semi-final is amazing.’
Ancelotti joined Bayern in August 2016 – replacing Pep Guardiola – but despite winning the Bundesliga he was sacked 14 months later.
Asked about this today he said: ‘It’s a long story but I will make it short. When you do your job you have to be supported by the club. When that support fails it’s better to split. That’s what happened at Bayern.
Ancelotti said Bellingham was a ‘fantastic guy’ and insisted there were no problems between the player and Kane
‘I have a good relationship with Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and the other directors. But that’s the way it works. When you are not supported it’s time to go.’
Kane had confirmed Bellingham’s comments after the first game, saying: ‘I spoke to him after and he said: “I know you’re going to go left of the keeper”. But it was nice for me because I saw the keeper go a little bit early and I put it away. I knew [Bellingham] was there but I didn’t know what he said. But I went left anyway.’
Michael Owen, on punditry for TNT Sports, also gave his verdict on what he thought the former Borussia Dortmund midfielder was whispering in Kane’s ear.
‘I think the referee sees him and Bellingham gives him a little wink as if to say, ‘he’s my mate I can say what I want kind of thing,” the ex-Man United and Liverpool forward said.
Bellingham’s behaviour did not stop his England colleague from converting to put Bayern 2-1 up on the night
‘I can imagine he [Kane] is just shutting everything and anything out at that moment and it certainly didn’t put him off.’
Meanwhile, Mail Sport columnist and podcast host Chris Sutton claimed Kane showed Bellingham a lack of respect following his antics.
‘Whether you like it or I like it, it doesn’t matter. Did Harry Kane like it? Does Harry Kane like it 24 hours on? I think he would feel there’s a bit of a lack of respect there. I really, really do. They’re off to the Euros together.’
‘There’s a big competition, a big moment,’ he added. ‘You can understand the desperation for Bellingham, for Real Madrid to go through. But I thought it was a strange move. He’s had a brilliant start to his career, exceptional at Dortmund.
‘He’s gone to Madrid but maybe people are viewing him as someone who may be getting a bit above his station when he does stuff like that.’
