Bellingham Chooses Zidane's Number 5 Shirt at Real Madrid
Jude Bellingham was officially unveiled today and showed off his new number 5 shirt, famously worn by Zinedine Zidane.
Bellingham Chooses No. 5 Shirt at Real Madrid
Jude Bellingham was presented as a Real Madrid player today following his transfer from Borussia Dortmund, holding aloft his new jersey for the cameras, with the number 5 printed beneath his name. Many expected him to stick with the number 22, which he wore at Birmingham (who retired the number when he left the club at 17 years old) and Dortmund, as well as for England at the World Cup last year. Instead, Bellingham chose a shirt that is strongly associated with one man at Real Madrid; Zinedine Zidane.
Zidane joined Real from Juventus in 2001 and played out the rest of his career there, winning six trophies, including the 01-02 Champions League, in which he scored one of the greatest cup final goals of all time. Zidane was a truly world class player and so it's no surprise that his identity remains attached to his old shirt number. However, the juxtaposition of the World Cup winner, as elegant a playmaker as there has ever been, choosing a number traditionally reserved for centre backs (typically among the least elegant players on the pitch) makes it even more special.
Zidane and some of Real Madrid's other no. 5s over the years.
Bellingham is a quality midfielder and has been known to play as a defensive midfielder as well as in more attacking roles, so the number 5 is a more natural choice for him than it was for Zidane. The Frenchman is one of the greatest players in history, so it would be a big ask for Bellingham to match his legacy at the club. Still, he'll be hoping at least to fare better than the last man to join Madrid from Dortmund and wear the number 5.
How do you think Bellingham will get on at Real Madrid?? Let us know in the comments.
Nottingham Forest Women Wear Training Tops vs Southampton to Avoid Color Blindness Clash
In an unusual kit occurrence, Nottingham Forest Women took to the pitch wearing training tops instead of their official 26-27 away kit during their match against Southampton Women at St Mary's Stadium on Sunday. The late switch was implemented specifically to avoid color blindness visibility issues that would have arisen from a red-versus-green clash. Huge thanks to @david_g_cooper for the spot.
With Southampton wearing their traditional red-and-white home kit, Nottingham Forest's primary alternative option - their green 26-27 away shirt - posed a serious dilemma. Red and green kit pairings are strictly discouraged by governing bodies and accessibility guidelines because they become indistinguishable to individuals with red-green color vision deficiency, which affects roughly 8% of men and 0.5% of women.
Since Nottingham Forest's home shirt is also red, the club resorted to dark training gear with match numbers applied on the back to provide adequate contrast for players, referees, and spectators.
Forest could have worn their light blue kit, but apparently they did not bring it.
Dominik Szoboszlai Reveals Nike Air Max 95 'Liverpool'
Liverpool midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai has officially debuted the upcoming Nike Air Max 95 'Liverpool', a special-edition release designed in partnership with JD Sports ahead of their annual 1.10 Day celebration. Deeply rooted in local street culture, where the model has long been nicknamed the '110' after its original UK retail price, the sneaker is packed with bespoke details paying tribute to Merseyside. The shoe features mismatched accents of dockland-inspired 'Rust Factor' orange alongside 'Steam' green referencing the city's Liver Birds, complemented by a reflective brick pattern, a River Mersey map printed across the insole, a custom 'Liverpool' tongue badge, and 'SCOUSE' lettering visible beneath the outsole.
