Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti insists Jude Bellingham has a “great relationship” with Harry Kane despite the attempted mind games over last week’s Champions League penalty.
Bellingham, 20, approached England team-mate Kane ahead of the Bayern Munich striker taking a spot kick in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid.
The midfielder attempted to say something to Kane before referee Clement Turpin intervened.
Kane, 30, later explained after the game: “I spoke to him after and he said: ‘I know you’re going to go left of the keeper’. But it was nice for me because I saw the keeper go a little bit early and I put it away.”
Ancelotti has now downplayed any potential fallout between Bellingham — who has scored 22 goals in his debut season for Madrid — and Kane ahead of the second leg of the semi-final in Madrid on Wednesday, with the aggregate score poised at 2-2.
Nothing was going to distract Harry Kane from getting his goal 😤 pic.twitter.com/mR05vjxCPH
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) April 30, 2024
“Jude is a fantastic guy, he respects everybody and he has a great relationship with Harry Kane,” Ancelotti said. “There are no problems.”
Ancelotti appeared to suggest that Andriy Lunin would be the goalkeeper for the second leg, despite Thibaut Courtois’s return from a long-term injury and keeping a clean sheet against Cadiz in La Liga on Saturday.
“After such a big injury you can’t change the plan because of a great performance,” Ancelotti said when asked on whether Courtois could start the second leg.
“Courtois needs time now to get to his best. He had a great game, with security and confidence, against Cadiz, but he has to get to his best.”
Ancelotti, who was head coach at Bayern between 2016 and 2017, also spoke of the situation of his Bayern counterpart Thomas Tuchel — who is set to leave the German club at the end of the season.
“Coaches have a job and an idea, but we have to have the support of the club where we are, because otherwise it does not work out,” Ancelotti said.
“When you don’t have this support, the best thing to do is to get better, as happened at Bayern. And that’s all. I have a great relationship with them.
“When you don’t have the support of the club, the best thing is to separate yourself to avoid problems.”
(Eddie Keogh – The FA/The FA via Getty Images)
