A report has emerged claiming that Borussia Dortmund players were actually delighted to see Jude Bellingham leave the club for Real Madrid earlier in the summer.

The English international left the German side to make a blockbuster move to Los Blancos for an initial fee of £88.5 million. With add-ons factored into the deal, that fee is expected to exceed the £100 million mark.

Borussia Dortmund were a final day win away from securing their first Bundesliga title in over a decade in what would have been a memorable farewell to the club for the 20-year-old after three years.

He had originally made the move to Germany from his boyhood club, Birmingham City, in 2020 as a 17-year-old. The Blues even retired his shirt number after he left with the massive impact they believed he had on the club.

Many would feel a dressing room may be disheartened at the loss of such an integral player, but that may not have been the case with Bellingham.

Borussia Dortmund players reportedly happy with Jude Bellingham exit

In a report released by BILD, it has been claimed that players that used to share a dressing room with Bellingham were glad to see the back of the English midfielder.

The main source of frustration seems to be his reported love of being the centre of attention, as claims are made that he even started waiting until the rest of his teammates had been over to thank the fans, before stepping forward on his own to gain all the applause.

Many are said to believe the former Birmingham City man felt he was in the shadow of Erling Haaland during the 2021/22 season and was not receiving the praise he felt he deserved at the time. It was felt that this affected his behaviour going forward and is the cause of his desire to be appreciated individually.

In addition to this, management at the German club became aware of Bellingham's apparent way of speaking to his teammates which annoyed many within the camp. It is said that he would be in a bad mood a lot of the time he was at the club and this was sometimes taken out on fellow players.

Players in the side believe Bellingham's ego became inflated during his spell with the club, with his replacement - Marcel Sabitzer - being praised for how he has handled himself in the short time he has been with Dortmund. Sabitzer - who spent half of last season on loan at Man United - is said to have acted very professionally, which will have made his new teammates happy.

With his attitude being questioned by his teammates at the time, it apparently rubbed a lot of them up the wrong way when Bellingham was given the chance to captain the team, with many believing his leadership skills were not up to par.

There is an instance of an argument during a Europa League loss against Rangers two seasons ago, with Bellingham believed to have told teammate Nico Schulz: "You can't play a f***ing pass, you're f***ing s**t! Every damn time!"

Emre Can - the new club captain - has become an extremely popular figure among the squad and is a much more fitting candidate to wear the armband.

Jude Bellingham's time at Borussia Dortmund was successful on the pitch

In 92 appearances in the German top flight, he managed an impressive 12 goals and 16 assists from a box-to-box midfield role. He also announced himself on the European stage with almost a goal contribution every two games in the Champions League.

It is not only his league form that has blossomed in recent years with his emergence within the England team, where he stole the show in the nation's run to the semi-final of the 2022 World Cup in December. His elegance on the ball coupled with the power he possesses was a nightmare for opposition midfielders to deal with throughout the tournament.

He is likely to be a key part of Gareth Southgate's plans for the 2024 Euro's as he may now even be considered one of the most important players in the side, along with Harry Kane.

From a young boy making a huge life choice to leave his hometown and join a huge club with a massive history turned out to be a brilliant move for the young man, and his journey abroad will continue with Premier League interest being turned down in order to become a Galactico.

A positive start to life at Real Madrid

Having beaten Liverpool to his signature this summer, Real Madrid believe they have one of the brightest prospects for the next decade in world football. His impact on the current team cannot be understated with so much room for growth after only turning 20 this year.

Bellingham found the back of the net in a game with Manchester United in pre-season from midfield, giving fans of the English game a glimpse of what the league has missed out on with his move to Spain.

He has also grabbed a first La Liga goal after only playing one game so far. The league opener saw Real Madrid visit Athletic Bilbao and run out 2-0 winners with Bellingham getting his name on the scoresheet. A looping volley from a corner saw the ball float into the top corner of the net and kick-start his campaign in a way he would have dreamed of the night before.

Carlo Ancelotti was full of praise after the promising debut as he responded to a question about the English star during his post-match press conference by saying: “He’s outstanding. He has plenty of personality and has adapted very quickly to the team's system. It seems like he's been with us for a long time, and he's a very talented player.”

The Italian manager knows a thing or two about the game, having managed some of the very best players to ever grace a football pitch in his long career. Time will only tell over the course of the season, but it is a very promising start for Bellingham in his Madrid journey.