Jude Bellingham's newest fan! James Maddison dresses son up in close friend's Real Madrid kit with 'wise choice' message
James Maddison dressed his eldest son, Leo, up in a Jude Bellingham Real Madrid kit. In a pair of wholesome snapshots taken at home, Maddison's boy throws his arms wide in pure, unfiltered delight while wearing a blue Real Madrid third strip, complete with the midfielder’s name and the iconic No.5 plastered across the back.
A kit rooted in history
The shirt Maddison’s son proudly wears is Real Madrid’s 2025-26 third strip. It arrives in a luxurious shade of blue, decorated with clean white accents that mirror the freshly installed seating at the renovated Bernabeu. The fabric itself carries subtle contours that mimic the stadium’s interior, a quiet tribute woven directly into the garment. Inside the collar rests a sentence etched into Madrid folklore: "90 minuti en el Bernabeu son molto longo." Those words, spoken by club legend Juanito to an Inter defender during the 1984–85 UEFA Cup semi-final, serve as a warning to opponents: "90 minutes in the Bernabeu feels like a lifetime."
The colour calls back to the 2013–14 season, the year Real Madrid clinched La Decima, their historic 10th European crown. It is a kit steeped in heritage, and now, thanks to Maddison’s son Leo, it has already found one of its most enthusiastic ambassadors.
Maddison added a mischievous caption to the images: "Wise choice, son." While Bellingham reposted the story in his account and wrote: "Leooo😍💙".
@madders Instagram
AdvertisementBellingham’s England story takes another twist
While Maddison’s social-media moment was light-hearted, Bellingham’s recent weeks with the national team have felt more intense. The Madrid midfielder was left out of England’s October plans while recovering from shoulder surgery, a spell that allowed speculation around his temperament to bubble up again as Thomas Tuchel seeks to build a harmonious squad ahead of the 2026 World Cup. Tuchel eventually restored him to the team for November’s fixtures against Serbia and Albania. Bellingham started the second of those matches but left without the shirt he wore, having swapped it with Inter defender Kristjan Asllani as he walked off the pitch. The decision triggered debate as many questioned the need for a shirt swap mid-match rather than waiting for the final whistle.
Midfielder defended from recent criticism
Last month, England midfielder Danny Murphy was quick to dispel any notion that Bellingham’s character should be questioned.
Speaking to GOAL, Murphy said: "I find the narrative around his character and any problems a little bit strange because when I have watched England – I have watched them a lot at tournaments and watched him closely, he is, by far, the best character on the football pitch when England play, in terms of producing big moments, grabbing the game by the scruff of the neck, leaving everything out there.
"If you could have 11 Jude Bellinghams, you would win most tournaments. The element of not talking to the press or not doing interviews or the odd swear word or rant or a little bit of what some people would call arrogance, that is what creates the player on the pitch. They are just rumours because a lot of the feedback from the players – Jordan Henderson recently said how much he likes him and how great a character he is – I think some of it has been exaggerated.
"From a footballing perspective, we have a much better chance of winning the World Cup if he is in the team. I don’t mean just in the squad, I mean in the team. He is a phenomenal talent. We should be – as pundits, fans, press – building him up, applauding him and being thankful that we have got him, not trying to pull him down because he is the best one we have got. He is the game-changer in our side. He is the one that can make things happen. He’s just a phenomenal player."
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GettyWhat comes next for Bellingham?
Bellingham has been a key figure for England for several years. He has become a talisman at Real Madrid. And now, even Premier League stars like Maddison find their children choosing his name on the back of their shirts. With the 2026 World Cup looming, Bellingham will be central to England’s ambitions. Shirt swaps, debates and social-media storms won’t change that.