Thierry Henry stunned by ‘joke’ Jude Bellingham performance as Real Madrid blow Liga title race wide open with Clasico win

Former Barcelona forward Thierry Henry has heaped praise on Real Madrid following their vital 2-1 El Clasico victory over his old club. The Frenchman was particularly blown away by Jude Bellingham's performance, describing the England international's dominant display in midfield as an absolute joke.

Henry praises compact Real Madrid

Henry has admitted he was highly impressed by Madrid's tactical setup during their crucial 2-1 El Clasico victory over his former club Barca. Speaking after the weekend's blockbuster fixture, the Frenchman noted that the vital win marked the first time this year he had seen Madrid play in such a compact and resilient manner.

According to Henry, Los Blancos were incredibly difficult to beat on the day, conceding very few clear opportunities while remaining highly dangerous on the counter-attack. Despite his natural allegiance to Blaugrana, Henry was quick to acknowledge the impressive nature of the complete performance from the capital club.

Bellingham performance was a joke

While Kylian Mbappe grabbed the headlines with two goals and the official Man of the Match award, Henry reserved special praise for England international Bellingham. The former Arsenal striker was left entirely in awe of the dynamic midfielder's all-around contribution to the vital victory. Speaking to Betway, Henry explained just how highly he rated the phenomenal individual display.

"It was the first time this year that I’ve seen Real Madrid playing like that," Henry noted. "They were compact, not conceding a lot of opportunities, being very difficult to beat and sound on the counter.

"Kylian Mbappe scored two goals and was named Man of the Match, but Jude Bellingham? Wow. The way he played reminded me of England’s game in Mexico. He was holding it, turning people, winning a foul, finding a pass or going through himself. I have to give him a lot of credit, the way he played was just a joke."

Mourinho answers his critics

The vital victory also served as a major statement for manager Mourinho, who had faced external pressure heading into the massive fixture. Henry noted that the jury had been out on whether the renowned coach could still deliver on the biggest stage, but this result firmly proved his enduring tactical qualities.

"Well done to Mourinho," Henry added. "The jury was out on whether he could still do it, and he showed he can. They knew they couldn’t afford to lose because a gap of nine points with that goal difference would have been very difficult.

“It’s still a long road, everyone thought it would be very difficult to stop Barcelona, but this is why it’s very difficult to predict these things. Barcelona were outstanding in the first 10 games and then suddenly they lose to Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid. Of course, I’ll always support Barcelona in Spain and it’s never nice to lose El Clasico, but I have to say fair play to Real Madrid."

Title race remains unpredictable

The result has blown the Spanish title race completely open. Los Blancos currently sit in third place in the Liga standings, having collected 24 points from ten matches. Meanwhile, this marks the first league defeat of the season for Hansi Flick’s side. Although they remain at the top of the table with 27 points, Barca's lead over second-placed Atletico Madrid has now been reduced to just two points.