Jude Bellingham has now played in 32 UEFA Champions League (UCL) games. Meanwhile, he is yet to turn 21 years old. This takes him 2 matches off the record set by Cesc Fàbregas who made 34 UCL appearances before his 21st birthday in 2008 as per Stathead. How is this Englishman doing it?
Jude Bellingham in UCL action for Real Madrid
Bellingham made his first appearance in the competition for Borussia Dortmund in October, 2020. He played for 45 minutes against Lazio in the clash. The young star went on to accumulate a total of 687 minutes across 10 UCL matches during the 2020/21 season. The following term, the English footballer was involved in all off Dortmund's 6 games in the group stage.
Last season, the midfielder added 7 more Champions League appearances to his name. He even served as captain twice during the period. The first time was during his side's visit to Sevilla in the group stage. He set up the opener and scored the winning goal as the Germans secured a 4-1 win in the encounter. The former Birmingham star also donned the armband during the first leg of the round of 16 encounter with Chelsea.
In the current edition, Bellingham has already played in 9 games for Real Madrid. His most recent appearance was in the semi final clash with Bayern Munich. He played for 75 minutes before he was subbed off.
Meanwhile, Cesc Fabregas had his first UCL appearance in Arsenal colours during the 2004/05 edition when he played in games. He went on to make 13 appearances the following season before adding 8 each in 2006/07 and 2008/09 seasons. This Spaniard became 21 years old nearly one month after Arsenal was knocked out in the quarter finals in April, 2008.