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Jude Bellingham is the first footballer to win the Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year - but his sights might be set higher.

Bellingham was the hot favourite to scoop the award after a barnstorming campaign with Real Madrid, having joined them in the summer.

Bellingham is already a fan favourite at the Bernabeu
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Bellingham is already a fan favourite at the BernabeuCredit: Getty

The 20-year-old has scored 21 times for Los Blancos, as well as registering ten assists, including a last-gasp winner in El Clasico on Sunday night at the Bernabeu.

He is already a fan favourite among the Madridistas and has been heralded as England's biggest hope of leading them to glory at the Euro 2024 this summer.

And the youngster has now bagged another award to mark his impressive year, lifting the Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year award.

It makes him the first footballer to land the accolade with recent winners including Spanish tennis star Carlos Alcaraz, NFL superstar Patrick Mahomes and Masters champion Sergio Garcia.

READ MORE ON JUDE BELLINGHAM

The award has also been won by fellow Brit Emma Raducanu, who won it after her stunning US Open triumph in 2021.

The Laureus Awards ceremony is held in Madrid are notorious for handing out their prizes to sports other than football including tennis, cycling and motorsport.

Bellingham beat US tennis star Coco Gauff, 20, and Colombia footballer Linda Caicedo, 19, to the award, having won the Kopa Trophy at the Ballon d'Or awards in 2023.

But the former Borussia Dortmund ace will have his sights set on winning the Ballon d'Or this year and is already one of the favourites to go ahead and do so.

He is competing with other superstars including Kylian Mbappe, Harry Kane and Erling Haaland for the prestigious individual prize.

It's unlikely this will be the last individual accolade Bellingham will receive in his career
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It's unlikely this will be the last individual accolade Bellingham will receive in his careerCredit: Getty

However, with Real Madrid favourites to win the Champion League and LaLiga, while England could taste success at Euro 2024, Bellingham might have a strong case for being the best player in the world at the moment.

Doing so would make him the first Englishman to win the award since Michael Owen in 2001 and the first Real Madrid player since Karim Benzema in 2022.

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Bellingham posed with fans and took selfies on the red carpet prior to scooping his award in Madrid on Monday night.

Among the other superstars attending include tennis supremo Novak Djokovic, women's Ballon d'Or winner Aitana Bonmati and Red Bull ace Max Verstappen.

Laureus World Sports Awards winners

Laureus World Sportsman of the Year Award: Novak Djokovic
Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year Award: Aitana Bonmati
Laureus World Team of the Year Award: Spain Women’s Football Team
Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year Award: Jude Bellingham
Laureus World Comeback of the Year Award: Simone Biles
Laureus Sport for Good Award: Fundacion Rafa Nadal
Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability Award: Diede de Groot
Laureus World Action Sportsperson of the Year Award: Arisa Trew

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