£115m player suggests he turned Liverpool down because they lost the CL final in 2022

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Jude Bellingham has admitted that Liverpool’s Champions League final loss to Real Madrid last year was a ‘huge factor’ in deciding his future.

Bellingham was unveiled as a new Real Madrid player today, and explained his reasons for joining the Spanish giants. As well as citing the hugeness of the club, it seems the 19-year-old was swayed by events in Paris 12 months ago.

“I was at the final when Madrid beat Liverpool [in 2022], that was a huge factor in my decision to join Real,” Bellingham said via journalist Fabrizio Romano on Twitter.

Liverpool pay for Paris again

To be honest, this doesn’t really make a whole lot of sense.

It isn’t news that Bellingham was at the final last year, he was pictured with Madrid legend Zinedine Zidane before the game. But having watched the match play out, he’ll have surely seen that Liverpool were quite clearly the better side.

Madrid may have won, but it was largely down to a quite ridiculous performance from goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.

Liverpool had just gone within a hairs breadth of the Premier League title and had also won both domestic cups. At the time, they were arguably in a better position than Madrid. Los Blancos ultimately won the biggest prize, but the Reds were right there with them.

A year down the line and things aren’t quite as rosy at Anfield. But it seems that Bellingham had made his decision long before that was the case.

So, although it’s true that the reported £115m transfer fee [BBC Sport] was way beyond Liverpool in the end, it seems they actually lost this race a whole year ago.

Unfortunately, we won’t get another chance to set the record straight next year, with the Reds in the Europa league. But if the two teams do cross paths again in the near future, Liverpool had simply better win. It’s about time. In the meantime, your loss, Jude. We move on.