Real Madrid's 2023 move for Jude Bellingham was the beginning of a rise which has seen the midfielder take the crown as the world's most marketable footballer, pairing superb performances with a refreshing, down-to-earth personality in media interviews.
The former Birmingham City academy graduate reportedly turned down both Manchester City and Liverpool before agreeing to £100 million move, becoming the first player English player to wear the famous white shirt since David Beckham's departure in 2007. He even turned down Manchester United before that.
A debut campaign of 36 goal involvements saw Los Blancos to a La Liga and Champions League double, with Michael Owen telling FourFourTwo that he'd developed the kind of swagger that only the best in the world possess.
Real Madrid set to move for 'the next Jude Bellingham'
The 15-time European champions have undertaken a youth-focused transfer policy in recent years, with Endrick, Arda Guler, Vinicius Jr and Rodrygo joining as teenagers for big money.
Next up on the list, according to Fichajes, is Sunderland's 17-year old starlet Chris Rigg, who has previously been linked with a number of elite Premier League clubs – and was recently linked with Real Madrid.
The young midfielder has grabbed plenty of headlines since making his professional debut in January 2023, aged just 15 at the time before making 21 Championship appearances last season as a 16-year-old.
Comfortable across the midfield, Rigg has been cited as a master technician, reinforced by his clever backheel finish in Sunderland's victory against Middlesbrough over the weekend. Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano shared that the midfielder signed a new deal over the summer via a post on X (formerly Twitter).
Having already been linked with the likes of Manchester United, the Spanish outlet claim that Madrid are ready to make a move over the next year, with Sunderland likely to cash in if they fail to gain promotion to the Premier League this season.
In FourFourTwo's opinion, it's only a matter of time before a big move beckons. A transfer to Real Madrid, however, could in fact see a loan move for Rigg to develop elsewhere, with Reinier going to Borussia Dortmund on loan to develop and Martin Odegaard to the Eredivisie during his teenage years.
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Rigg is valued at €300k by Transfermarkt, although the fee required to secure his services will undoubtedly dwarf such a value, particularly with the Black Cats losing star man Jack Clarke over the summer.
Having featured in each of Sunderland's six opening league games this season, another full season of first team action can only benefit the young midfielder before what promises to be a career-defining move.
Who is Chris Rigg?
Rigg’s audacious winning goal in the Wear-Tees derby was the latest achievement unlocked by the 17-year-old who began turning heads in January 2023 when he made his senior debut as a 15-year-old. The Hebburn-born midfielder joined the Black Cats as a five-year-old and has quickly risen through the ranks at club and country level, having represented England up to under-18s level so far.
He won’t turn 18 until June, but already looks at home in the Championship and no-one will be surprised if one of his many admirers pulls the trigger on an eight-figure transfer next summer.
It’s early days in his career, but Rigg looks most at home in the middle of the park. Whether he comes of age at the number eight or number 10 position remains to be seen, but he has the ability to excel in both roles and if his development is handled in the right way, his is a name fans will hear plenty of in the coming years.
