Jude Bellingham brushed off his spat with Lisandro Martinez after scoring his first goal for Real Madrid in the victory over Manchester United in Houston.
Bellingham was on target for the first time since making a £113million move from Borussia Dortmund last month as Madrid won 2-0 at the NRG Stadium.
But he was involved in a shoving match with United’s combative defender towards the end of the first half when Martinez scythed down Bellingham and United midfielder Mason Mount stepped in to push his England teammate away from trouble.
Bellingham went off at half-time and the 20-year-old revealed that he was furious over the incident until Martinez approached him to make peace after the Argentina defender was also replaced after the hour mark.
‘The little tiff with Martinez is one of those things,’ said Bellingham. ‘He’s a brilliant player. I came in at half-time and I was effing this and effing that. But then he came over to wish me all the best when he came off, and I really respected it.
Jude Bellingham shared his ‘respect’ for Lisandro Martinez after the defender made peace with Real Madrid’s £113m signing after a bullish tackle
The Argentine defender (right) clashed with Bellingham’s team-mate after receiving a yellow
Martinez’s efforts went in vain as the Red Devils fell to Los Blancos in Texas, losing the tie 2-0
‘I know what goes on the pitch stays on the pitch. I saw him at the end of the game and wished him well. I can respect that when two players are trying to win their team and can come together and be respectful after the game.
‘He is a great competitor and a great player. Just like me, he wants to win. Sometimes it spills over. That is part of the game. I am really respectful. We can have that moment after the game.’
Bellingham insists he isn’t getting carried away by his start at Madrid despite scoring an excellent goal in Houston. The 20-year-old England midfielder controlled a pass from Antonio Rudiger and dinked the ball over United’s new goalkeeper Andre Onana in the sixth minute.
Bellingham looked marginally offside and he said: ‘I haven’t seen it back yet. It did feel as though I went a little bit early. These days you have to play to the whistle because you never know. As I was running over, I saw the linesman and his flag stayed down so I just carried on with the celebration. If it is offside, so be it, but it is still a goal.
The 20-year-old had reasons to be cheerful after scoring his first in white during the friendly
‘I look like I am enjoying it, I like to think. So far, so good. I am enjoying playing with this team, learning from so many great players. I am definitely not getting carried away just yet. There are big challenges to come this season.
‘There is a lot to aim for and rightly so. It is the biggest club with the best players. The expectations are high as they should be. It is about us going out there and matching that.
‘I was confident coming here because I knew how good the players were. I know the qualities I can bring and I feel like I have slotted in. The role I am playing is enjoyable. I had a decent game against AC Milan and a decent one today. I just want to keep up the rhythm going into the season.’
Bellingham is still learning Spanish and said: ‘It’s tough. I’m trying. I’m slowly getting better and I have a lot of good teachers in the team. Hopefully that will come.’
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