Rio Ferdinand claims Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham can win three Ballon d'Ors'

Bellingham completed a £113 million transfer from Borussia Dortmund to Real Madrid in June and has had an incredible start to the season.

The 20-year-old is now leading the La League scoring rankings after scoring five goals in his first four games for the Spanish giants.

Ferdinand has now insisted that the England international can win three Ballon d'Or at the rate at which he is playing. 

Ferdinand compared Bellingham's performance at the highest level at a young age to those of Michael Owen and Wayne Rooney on BBC Radio 5 Live as reported by Daily Mail.

The Man United legend then claimed Bellingham was younger than 20-year-old Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard, and his former Man United teammate Paul Scholes. 

Ferdinand said, “He is going to be pitted against people like Gerrard, Lampard, Scholes, and I would say right now, comfortably, that none of those players were doing anything like what he’s doing at this age and that’s the yardstick.

“So he can go on and win the Ballon d’Or. I’ll be very surprised if this kid doesn’t finish his career with at least one, maybe two or three Ballon d’Ors because I think he’s that good.

“There’s been players who stand out ability-wise maybe the same or a bit more than him and you could argue the case either way.

“But I don’t think there’s been, which I think is the most important part of it, that one that has come out with the mentality that this kid has to do what he’s doing.

“To go to Real Madrid and be the best player in his first four or five games is phenomenal, unheard of.”

Scholes made his Man United debut at the age of 19, and the following year he established himself as a regular starter, so Ferdinand's comparison to three of England's greatest midfielders seems realistic.