Jude Bellingham’s performance in Real Madrid’s 2-1 Clasico win drew the sharpest praise in Thierry Henry’s post-match column.

“The way he played reminded me of England’s match in Mexico. He protected the ball, turned past opponents, drew fouls, found a pass, or advanced on his own,” Henry wrote on the Betway Insider blog, in comments first cited by Marca and carried by Get Spanish Football News. “What he did was absolutely incredible.”

The match was played at Camp Nou on Sunday, 25 October, with Kylian Mbappe scoring twice for Real Madrid. Raphinha equalised for Barcelona before Mbappe added a late winner.

According to Al Jazeera, Mbappe’s second goal was his 100th across all competitions for Real Madrid, and the result left Hansi Flick’s Barcelona two points clear at the top of LaLiga after 10 matchdays.

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Henry fastens on Bellingham’s control

Henry devoted most of his column to the England midfielder, who was prominently involved in the build-up to Mbappe’s winner.

In further comments reported by LiveScore from the same blog, the French forward also praised Real Madrid’s defensive shape and said they were extremely hard to break down and dangerous on the counter-attack.

‘Yamal and Kylian will have a very long rivalry’

Asked whether the Clasico is entering a new era defined by Mbappe and Yamal in the way the Messi-Ronaldo years once shaped it, Henry was emphatic.

“Yamal and Kylian will have a very long rivalry in La Liga, and also maybe to win the Ballon d’Or,” he wrote.

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Yamal has been the central creative figure in Flick’s Barcelona this season, while Mbappe arrived at Real Madrid in the summer of 2024 and has quickly become the team’s leading scorer. Both are the youngest attacking stars of a Clasico rivalry that defined the 2010s through two generational players at opposite ends of it.

Real Madrid now sit third in LaLiga on 24 points, behind Atletico Madrid on 25 and Barcelona on 27. The next Clasico is scheduled for the second half of the season.

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