It may have only been a fleeting moment of gamesmanship, a flirtation with the dark arts. But when Jude Bellingham whispered sweet nothings into the ear of Arsenal star Bukayo Saka, talkSPORT's European football journalist Andy Brassell believed it only endeared him even further to Real Madrid's supporters. 5 Bellingham tried to distract Saka prior to his penalty in the second leg of Real Madrid's Champions League defeat to Arsenal Credit: @BBCSport - x In fact, Brassell believes Bellingham is loved by Madridistas more than five-time Ballon d'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo ever was. The incident in question occurred in the first half of the second leg between Madrid and Arsenal in their Champions League quarter-final tie. Mikel Arteta's side had the chance to go 4-0 up on aggregate as early as the tenth minute when Mikel Merino was fouled by Raul Asencio inside the box. Although Gunners' captain Martin Odegaard picked up the ball, as if he was going to take the spot kick, Bellingham saw right through the ploy and knew the duty would fall on Saka's shoulders. So Bellingham went up to his England teammate, placed his hand on Saka's back and whispered in his ear. It will forever remain unknown exactly what Bellingham said to the 23-year-old but it appeared to work, as Saka's meek Panenka attempt was kept out by goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois. Granted, it was an insignificant miss in the overall context of the tie as Arsenal ran out 5-1 victors on aggregate thanks to a 2-1 win at the Santiago Bernabeu. But Bellingham's act was proof for Brassell to claim the Stourbridge-born superstar fully understood what it means to pull on the iconic white kit. "It's a little clue to why he's so loved in Madrid in an unconditional way that Cristiano Ronaldo never was," Brassell said on talkSPORT's Trans Euro Express. He then explained his reasoning behind the surprise claim. "Cristiano Ronaldo was admired and respected, but never loved like Jude Bellingham. 5 Ronaldo scored goals and collected trophies for fun during his spell at Madrid Credit: Getty - Contributor "Now, you might sit there and think, 'Okay, well Cristiano Ronaldo scored more than a goal a game for nine years, how can that be the case?' "But I think it's the indefinables with Bellingham. And you saw it at Dortmund as well, the way he connected with the crowd. "It's not just the way he plays, but the fact he makes the fans in the stadium feel part of it. "He plays the game like any of us would if we had the ability. I think that's the important thing. He's a mix between the best player in the world and us playing on a Sunday. And I don't mean that in a bad way, I mean that in an entirely positive way. "And I think that's the thing, because the Madrid media would expect anyone to do that for Real Madrid. "[Bellingham] doesn't need to be asked. He doesn't care that it's his England teammate and I think Bukayo Saka would quite respect that." 5 Bellingham doesn't care if you're friends off the pitch, all he wants is for Madrid to win Credit: Getty 5 The midfielder makes the fans feel like they are playing right there with him and they love him for it Credit: Getty At present, Bellingham's career at the Bernabeu is incomparable with Ronaldo's. The Portuguese superstar won four of his five Ballons d'Or during his time at Madrid and plundered a staggering 450 goals in 438 games across all competitions, a figure that made him the club's all-time record goalscorer. Ronaldo also played a starring role in Madrid winning a whopping 15 trophies throughout his nine-season stint, including four Champions League titles. He departed Madrid in 2018 for Juventus and cited the fact he felt he was 'no longer indispensable' as a key reason why he sought to leave the club. As for Bellingham, he is near the end of only his second season with Madrid. He moved to the Spanish capital in the summer of 2023 for an initial £88million and has proved to be worth every penny and then some. 5 Ronaldo may have plundered goals for fun but Bellingham has already tasted silverware Credit: talkSPORT In just his first season, Bellingham registered an impressive 23 goals and 13 assists from 43 appearances across the board as Madrid won LaLiga and the Champions League. Although his sophomore campaign has seen a dip in performance, it is emblematic of Madrid's stumbles in domestic and continental competitions amid their struggles to find the solution for Vinicius Junior and Kylian Mbappe to thrive up top. But at age 21 and already a fan favourite among the club's supporters, Bellingham is firmly on a path to carve out a career as one of Madrid's modern greats. Listen to the Trans Euro Express on talkSPORT every Sunday night from 9pm featuring European football journalist Andy Brassell