Jude Bellingham took a chip off Zinedine Zidane’s block in Real Madrid’s 4-2 Champions League win over Napoli.
The Los Blancos midfielder wore unreleased Adidas Predator boots similar to the ones Zidane used to wear.
Trent Alexander-Arnold did the same against Manchester City after he signed a £26million deal with the sportswear behemoths, joining Bellingham on their roster.
Next year is the 30-year anniversary of Adidas Predators coming out and the brand is teasing the release of a new edition of the boots once worn by Zidane, Steven Gerrard, and David Beckham.
But Bellingham was able to take the Zidane inspiration further by taking the No 5 shirt, once the Frenchman’s number.
Jude Bellingham teased the new Adidas Predator boots by wearing them in a throwback look to Zinedine Zidane during Real Madrid’s Champions League clash with Napoli on Wednesday
Zidane wore the boots when he scored Madrid’s winner in the 2002 Champions League final
Trent Alexander-Arnold also wore the boots after signing a £26million contract with Adidas
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He also wore a long-sleeved shirt against Napoli – unlike his team-mates – in a throwback to Zidane’s garment from the 2002 Champions League final.
That day Zidane scored a legendary volley against Bayer Leverkusen in a 2-1 win, and Bellingham was on the scoresheet on Wednesday night at the Bernabeu.
Bellingham scored Madrid’s second while Rodrygo, Nico Paz, and Joselu also netted to maintain the side’s 100% record in the Champions League this season.
He celebrated his goal by sticking out his tongue and later posted a clip with the caption ‘the tongue is back’ in a reference to his boots.
Napoli gave it a good go on Walter Mazzarri’s return to the dugout in Europe’s elite competition but were overpowered by a superior Madrid outfit.
Adidas couldn’t have many better representatives than the media-friendly Bellingham, who has 22.9 million Instagram followers and has had a record-breaking start at Madrid, scoring 15 goals in 16 games.
Their new boots have had a flourishing start to life as Alexander-Arnold also scored against Man City to silence the Etihad.
Adidas are releasing a new edition of the boots in 2024 as it will be their 30-year anniversary
Liverpool defender Alexander-Arnold was inspired by Steven Gerrard’s winning performance in the 2005 Champions League final, when the Reds came from behind to triumph in Istanbul
Alexander-Arnold, backed by 10.4 million Instagram minions, is another coup for Adidas after he severed ties with Under Armour.
The Liverpool vice-captain had been with Under Armour since his breakthrough as a teenager but was won over by Adidas’ lucrative offer.
He will get his own signature range with the German manufacturers and has worn Adidas Predators since the age of six, having been inspired by Gerrard’s performance in the 2005 Champions League final with them on.
He said: ‘Whenever I had the ball at my feet, I made sure I had those boots on. Istanbul was what really inspired me back then. That game, those players, the boots. Those boots never left my bag. I guess I always knew I’d be back someday.’
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