Ancelotti: Bellingham is Great, but I'll Stick with Madrid Youngsters

Real Madrid's head coach Carlo Ancelotti waits for the start of a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Valladolid and Real Madrid at the Jose Zorrilla stadium in Valladolid, Spain, Friday, Dec. 30, 2022. (AP Photo/Pablo Garcia)
Real Madrid's head coach Carlo Ancelotti waits for the start of a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Valladolid and Real Madrid at the Jose Zorrilla stadium in Valladolid, Spain, Friday, Dec. 30, 2022. (AP Photo/Pablo Garcia)
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Ancelotti: Bellingham is Great, but I'll Stick with Madrid Youngsters

Real Madrid's head coach Carlo Ancelotti waits for the start of a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Valladolid and Real Madrid at the Jose Zorrilla stadium in Valladolid, Spain, Friday, Dec. 30, 2022. (AP Photo/Pablo Garcia)
Real Madrid's head coach Carlo Ancelotti waits for the start of a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Valladolid and Real Madrid at the Jose Zorrilla stadium in Valladolid, Spain, Friday, Dec. 30, 2022. (AP Photo/Pablo Garcia)

Carlo Ancelotti hailed English midfielder Jude Bellingham, who has been linked with a move to his Real Madrid team, but said Friday he has plenty of young talent at his fingertips already.

Los Blancos have three of the most exciting midfield prospects in world football in Aurelien Tchouameni, Eduardo Camavinga and Fede Valverde, AFP said.

Borussia Dortmund's Bellingham played well for England during the World Cup in Qatar until Gareth Southgate's side were knocked out by Tchouameni and Camavinga's France in the quarter-finals.

"Bellingham showed at the World Cup that he is a great midfielder," Ancelotti told reporters on Friday ahead of his team's La Liga clash with Villarreal.

"A lot of youngsters stood out, like Enzo (Fernandez) with Argentina, and the Spaniards Pedri and Gavi had a very nice tournament.

"There are a lot of young midfielders emerging but I'll stick with mine. We have very good ones, Tchouameni, Camavinga, Valverde. We have a lot of youngsters."

French duo Tchouameni and Camavinga finished as runners-up, defeated in the final by Argentina.

Bellingham's deal with Dortmund expires in 2025 and the 19-year-old has been linked with various teams, including Spanish champions Madrid, who sold Casemiro to Manchester United last summer.

Long-serving Madrid midfielders Toni Kroos and 37-year-old Luka Modric have contracts that expire in the summer of 2023.

Los Blancos signed Camavinga, 20, from Rennes in 2021 and then last year brought in Tchouameni, 22, from Monaco.

Valverde, 24, joined Madrid's youth ranks from Penarol in 2016, but has often been deployed on the right flank instead of in central midfield.

They are all establishing themselves at Madrid, who are level on points with league leaders Barcelona ahead of their first match of 2023, a tricky test at Quique Setien's Villarreal on Saturday.

"They have changed a bit, they have a very clear identity, different from (Unai) Emery's Villarreal," added Ancelotti.

"Setien likes attacking football, their players are well positioned on the pitch. To win there, you have to be at your best."



Messi and Miami Held by New York City in MLS Opener

Lionel Messi - File/AFP
Lionel Messi - File/AFP
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Messi and Miami Held by New York City in MLS Opener

Lionel Messi - File/AFP
Lionel Messi - File/AFP

Lionel Messi and Inter Miami stumbled out of the blocks with a 2-2 home draw against New York City FC in the opening round of the new Major League Soccer season on Saturday.

Miami, who broke the regular season points record last year before crashing out in the first round of the playoffs, played the bulk of the match with 10 men after Argentine defender Tomas Aviles was sent off.

Messi provided the assists for both Miami's goals including the leveler which came in the 10th minute of stoppage time, AFP reported.

With new head coach Javier Mascherano in charge for the first time in MLS, having replaced fellow Argentine Gerardo Martino, Miami featured several new faces but looked disjointed and lacking shape for most of the encounter.

The night began perfectly for Miami who took the lead in the fifth minute after Messi played a corner deep to Jordi Alba who returned a pinpoint diagonal pass which the World Cup winner slipped across to Aviles who slotted home.

But then things started to go wrong for the MLS Cup favourites.

One of the off-season arrivals, forward Fafa Picault, had to go off in the 10th minute after going down with what appeared to be a muscle injury.

Then, 13 minutes later, the momentum of the game shifted significantly towards New York when Aviles brought down Alonso Martinez on the edge of the box and received a straight red card.

From the free-kick Maxi Moralez took advantage of the disorganisation in the Miami defence -- slipping a pass to the unmarked Slovenian Mitja Ilenic who fired into the bottom corner.

Miami with a makeshift, inexperienced central defensive pairing of Noah Allen and Ian Fray, struggled to get a grip on the game although substitute Robert Taylor forced City keeper Matt Freese into a fine save at the end of the half.

New York could sense there was the chance for an upset but they could barely believe their luck when they were gifted the lead by Alba in the 55th minute.

The former Spain and Barcelona left-back passed straight to New York forward Martinez who gleefully accepted the gift and burst goalwards before slotting past Oscar Ustari.

Messi was getting little in the way of quality service and next to no support from the largely ineffective Luis Suarez who was substituted four minutes after the goal.

Freese kept out a Messi free-kick and Alba found Federico Redondo with a fine pull-back but the midfielder side-footed wide.

But in the 10th minute of stoppage time Messi provided the touch of class Miami needed - slipping a perfectly weighted pass through to Telasco Segovia and the Venezuelan provided a deft finish to lift the ball over Freese for the equaliser.