Jude Bellingham's sensational start at Real Madrid is no surprise to European football expert Andy Brassell.

The England midfielder, still just 20, has scored an incredible eight goals in his first nine games since joining Los Blancos for £88.5million from Borussia Dortmund over the summer.

His latest was a stunning solo strike in the Champions League at Napoli on Tuesday, further cementing himself as the focal point in Carlo Ancelotti's new-look Real side.

Brassell told LiveScore: "I'm really impressed by the way Jude Bellingham has started but he was such a complete player already at Borussia Dortmund.

"They developed him brilliantly there over the last couple of years. 

"But he was ready from the start, from that first DFB-Pokal game he played for Dortmund before the start of his inaugural Bundesliga season [in 2020].

"Thorgan Hazard famously turned to him and said: 'you're not a kid are you!'. 

"And that has been the theme of Bellingham's career so far — not just the ability but his extraordinary strength for someone of his age.

"With what's happened with Karim Benzema, Ancelotti — who is not known enough as a tactical innovator — has spotted an opportunity to use Bellingham in a more advanced role.

"It was pretty clear he would be able to do it — with the qualities he's got, it's clear that Ancelotti had watched a lot of him at Dortmund."

We Play On by Andy Brassell is available now via Hachette UK

Instant hero

Former Birmingham youngster Bellingham has already made himself the darling of the Bernabeu despite his short career at Real so far.

That is made more impressive by the fact that unwavering support from the Real faithful is not always a given — something Brassell was keen to point out.

He added: "How much the fans love him already is remarkable really when you consider that Cristiano Ronaldo scored more than a goal a game for the best part of nine seasons and never felt that unconditional love.

"Bellingham seems to have got that already. It's something that Bellingham had at both Birmingham and Dortmund. 

"[It's] a connection that he cultivates during the game. He revs up supporters a little bit like Diego Simeone at Atletico Madrid."

Stay grounded

Though it is hard to fault the way the Three Lions talent has started, Brassell warned of the inevitable trickier moments that will come with the territory of being a Galactico.

He said: "You have to add a little bit of context because of what we saw with Aurelien Tchouameni last season. 

"He started brilliantly but he hit a few moments where he found things more difficult after various stuff that takes on a bigger dimension when you're at Real Madrid than it does elsewhere.

"But the way Bellingham has started so far is impeccable."