JUDE BELLINGHAM received a brilliant message from Bayern Munich forward and childhood friend Jamal Musiala after winning the Kopa Trophy at the Ballon d'Or ceremony.
Real Madrid and England star Bellingham, 20, collected the award for the world's best young player in Paris on Monday evening.
It comes after a sensational season for Borussia Dortmund, followed up by a remarkable start to his time at the Bernabeu.
After collecting the award, Bellingham was told Musiala, 20, finished second in the voting.
And the Los Blancos superstar had nothing but kind words for a player he featured alongside for England as a young teenager.
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Bellingham said: "It's crazy because we were team-mates with England two or three - maybe a bit longer - years ago and he's one of my best mates in football.
"So I'm really proud of him and I'll always keep in touch to see how he's getting on. A great lad and a great player."
The coverage then cut to a recorded message from Musiala as he congratulated Bellingham.
He said: "Hi Jude, due to our upcoming game I could not make it to Paris tonight but I still wanted to send you congratulations on your achievement. Well deserved.
"We both can remember not long ago we were room-mates at England and now you're playing for Real Madrid and I'm playing for Bayern. Crazy when you think about it.
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"I hope to see you soon. Hope you have a fantastic evening and greetings from Munich."
Bellingham beamed throughout the video message, before he graciously responded to Musiala's comments as an old picture of the pair in England shirts came up on the screen.
Asked about the emotions the image evokes, he added: "I'm more worried about my hair to be fair.
"But no, a great guy. So classy of him to send a message there. I wish him well.
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"I'm always wishing him the best and he knows how much I love him and how much respect I've got for him."
Bellingham and Musiala played together at age group level, before the latter switched allegiance to Germany.
Musiala has gone on to earn 25 senior caps since making his debut in 2021.
Meanwhile, Bellingham has 27 appearances for England since claiming his first cap in 2020.
And the pair have hit the ground running this season with their respective clubs.
Musiala has four goals and three assists in 11 games for Bayern.
But Bellingham has taken his game to a completely new level, scoring 13 goals in 13 matches, while also contributing three assists.
And he netted a superb brace in El Clasico on Saturday as Real Madrid clinched a 2-1 win away at rivals Barcelona.