Stockport County: Jude Bellingham sends one-word message to Aston Villa loanee Louie Barry | OneFootball

The Real Madrid and England star was full of praise for his former team-mate

Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham was full of praise for Stockport County players who contributed to their 5-0 win over Bolton Wanderers at the weekend.

The England star was busy in Spain, collecting a 4-0 win of his own against Osasuna for Los Blancos – a game he scored in to add to a Vinicius Jr hat-trick – but he still found time to check in on League One and look out for his former team-mates.

Bellingham isn’t the first globally renowned sportsman to check in on the Hatters this season, something that will no doubt please the club’s media team as they try to get more eyeballs on the team.

A performance like theirs against Bolton, leading to catching the attention of the likes of Bellingham, are things anyone connected with the club will hope to see more of in the coming weeks.

Bellingham praise for Barry

Louie Barry netted the Hatters’ fourth goal against the Trotters, at which point the Edgeley Park outfit were flowing and the crowd was bouncing.

The young Villa man seized on some loose play in the Bolton backline inside their own box, nicking the ball and wasting no time poking it past the goalkeeper.

Barry then ran over to the erupting Cheadle End and simply held his arms aloft – not dissimilar to Bellingham’s own signature celebration.

The Real Madrid man clearly approved, simply commenting, “him” underneath Barry’s Instagram post of his own celebration – alluding to the fact that Barry is the man of the moment in League One circles.

The pair spent some time together in England’s youth setup, and likely struck up a bond by dint of both hailing from in and around Birmingham.

Other comments from current team-mates were less flattering, but provided a glimpse into the good-natured banter that clearly exists in the Hatters changing room.

Wing-back Macaulay Southam-Hales, who was making his first start after a long layoff with injury, said: “Football ability 10/10 golf ability 3/10 ❤️”

There’s clearly some weight to the Welshman’s words, as County captain Lewis Bate followed up with: “Generous on the golf ability.”

County have attracted other globally famous sportsmen this season

Bellingham can regularly be seen in the comments of County players due to his connections with Barry and midfielder Odin Bailey, who was in Birmingham City's academy with Bellingham.

Having one globally famous sports star watching the progress of your third-tier side is plenty to get excited about, but the Hatters can boast two.

Sprinter Usain Bolt, multiple Olympic gold medalist and world record holder, has also been spotted online keeping up with County this season.

That's thanks to his connection with County youth prospect Che Gardner's dad, Ricardo Gardner, who himself played for Wanderers and Jamaica.

With teams like Wrexham and Birmingham City in the league boasting links to world-famous stars from film and sports, the Hatters are still holding their own when it comes to notable onlookers.

Having had him on loan last season, the Hatters knew what they were getting with Barry, but they may not have known how ruthlessly effective he'd be in the division above.

With just 15 appearances on the clock in League One, Barry has already reached double figures for the season, his 10 goals making him the division's joint-top scorer.

If he can keep up numbers like that, he will undoubtedly hold his place as a fan favourite at Edgeley Park and will no doubt still be getting cheered on from the continent by a global superstar in Bellingham.