Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho has praised Jude Bellingham after the away win in the Champions League.

The Englishman turned in a cross from Marc Cucurella with his heel to equalise at 1-1 in the 3-2 away win over AEK Athens. His goal and strong performance drew special praise from coach Mourinho: "He is unique, he is exceptional," the Portuguese said, according to Spanish sports newspaper Marca.

Going further, Mourinho said: "There is no midfielder in the world like him. He works hard and has quality: excellent," said the Real coach. Fede Valverde ultimately secured the win in Greece, curling the ball into the far corner in the 92nd minute to make it 3-2.

Bellingham's work ethic has already made him a fans' favourite in Madrid. The club's management are also said to have welcomed the former Borussia Dortmund player's decision to postpone a planned shoulder operation until the summer so he could play through the pain for Real in the closing stages of last season.

Recently, coach Mourinho also made clear how highly he rates Bellingham. After it was announced that Harry Kane of Bayern Munich had won the Ballon d'Or as the world's best player, the Madrid coach examined the other placings and said: "As for the Ballon d'Or vote, Jude Bellingham's placing surprised me a little in particular. He finished in eleventh place. I don't want to say any more about that."

In 2023, Bellingham moved from Borussia Dortmund to Real for a transfer fee of €127 million. This season, he has scored five goals and provided four assists for the Madrid side in 15 competitive appearances across all competitions.