This past Sunday at the 90:29 mark, Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham continued his ascent as soccer’s fastest rising star by scoring a game-stoppage goal against Barcelona to give Madrid its 36th La Liga title. In addition to this game-winner, Bellingham had a record-breaking 14 goals in his first 15 team appearances. This level of performance exceeded even that of the great Cristiano Ronaldo.
To get a sense of the athletic greatness of Jude Bellingham, watch the video below:
The 20-year-old was recently profiled in this ESPN article and this The Athletic article. The following are three leadership lessons we learn from this international superstar:
Hard Work Improves Your Timing
Head coach Carlo Ancelotti said of Bellingham’s winning goal, “He arrived at the right time. He played a match with a lot of effort, working hard. Now this goal could be fundamental to winning the league.”
Denzel Washington says, “Luck is when an opportunity comes along and you’re prepared for it.” Bellingham’s hard work prepared him to show up when it mattered the most to his team.
A Leader’s Greatest Ability Is Their Availability
Despite his fast start to the season, Bellingham’s scoring space slowed a bit because of injury. Bellingham said, “The main thing that killed my rhythm was the [ankle] injury. Finally I got over that pain in my ankle, played against Valencia, scored what I thought was a perfectly good goal, and got suspended.”
Regardless of your profession, if you are not on the job, your other abilities are nullified.
Top Performers Position Themselves For Success
Why do some people always seem to be in the right place at the right time? Bellingham helps answer that question.
Luca De la Torre said, “He’s very good at arriving in the box. As a midfielder, it’s really difficult to mark for a centre-back, who’s focusing on the striker. He scored against us from just being in the right place at the right time. It can be really hard to defend against. If he can read the game well and know where the bounce is going, you have almost no chance.”
When you can “read the game”, know where your industry is headed, and “arrive in the box”, you have positioned yourself to be in the right place at the right time.
Conclusion
If you work hard, are constantly available, and have positioned yourself for success, then you can possibly accomplish great things like Jude Bellingham.
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