Jude Bellingham becomes youngest to 60 Champions League games

Jude Bellingham became the youngest player to make 60 Champions League appearances on Wednesday 4 November 2026, at 23 years and 128 days. He celebrated with a goal, too: a flicked finish in the 32nd minute as Real Madrid won 3-2 at AEK Athens.

What the numbers say

This was not a comfortable night. A. Koita put AEK Athens ahead in the 12th minute, and Bellingham's flick levelled it on 32. S. Pilo restored the home lead on 75, but K. Mbappe answered just three minutes later on 78.

The winner came from Federico Valverde, the Real Madrid captain, in the second minute of added time, listed as the 90th minute in our data. AEK led twice and still finished with nothing.

Bellingham was named Player of the Match. His landmark also moves him past Iker Casillas, the former Madrid goalkeeper, on the list of youngest players to reach 60 appearances in the competition's history. Nito thinks that is a rather lovely piece of club symmetry.

What it changes in the table

The win kept Madrid's perfect record in this season's Champions League. After 4 games they sit 2nd with 12 points and a goal difference of 6. PSG lead on the same 12 points, separated only by their goal difference of 15. Arsenal are 3rd on 10 points with a goal difference of 5.

At the other end of our snapshot, AEK Athens are 29th with 3 points and a goal difference of -6. Villarreal (28th) and RB Leipzig (30th) are locked on exactly the same numbers, so the margins around AEK could hardly be thinner.

Form check

Our form guide for Madrid reads D W W W W. Alongside this result, the run includes a 2-1 win over Barcelona, a 3-0 win against Racing Santander and a 4-1 win over RB Leipzig, plus a 2-2 draw with Arsenal. That is a lot of goals in both directions, and plenty of resilience: Madrid have shown they can come from behind, as they did here.

You can follow the full picture on our Real Madrid team page.

What's next for Real Madrid

Attention switches to the league: Valencia vs Real Madrid in Spain: Laliga, with kick-off on 07/11/2026. We have no pick for this one yet, but keep an eye on the Valencia vs Real Madrid match page for our numbers as the game approaches. Nito will be watching to see whether Bellingham can add to a memorable week.

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