There was a moment in the game when Jude Bellingham remained after a fight with Myles Lewis-Skelly, who eventually came up to complain to the referee that the Arsenal player had left one. Lewis-Skelly told him to tell him, shall we say, get lost.
No response of reputation, even his teammates from New England do not seem, it was an indication of what we have seen of the 18-year-old since his Arsenal debut in September-Slechts seven months ago, remember. In fact, he was booked before he even brought that autumn afternoon on the field against Manchester City.
He then scored against the ruling Premier League champions in the return match, in which he ruled a row of Erling Haaland of the earlier meeting by simulating his goal celebration. Not, for Lewis-Skelly, the quiet introduction to senior football.
When he made his international arch for England last month, he scored of course. There have been two red cards – one of them withdrew – and a penalty that was awarded against him at the weekend. Only one normal game? Well, this was anything but normal.
Real Madrid, the champions of Europe, now and 14 times before, were overwhelmed by the Gunners. Declan Rice was the hero, but there was something with the Swagger of Lewis-Skelly who seemed to summarize the night. No fear, just an appetite to impress.
Luka Modric won the Ballon d'Or before Lewis-Skelly was a teenager and played in his first World Cup before the Londoner was even born. The Croatian is football Royalty. It did not prevent him from being brushed aside by the young person. The message? This is my time.
Jamie Carragher from Sky Sports said on CBS Sports: “At that age he reminds me a bit of Jude Bellingham, also Wayne Rooney.” You can see what he means. It is the early ripe, a boy who steps on the big stage as if he owns it. Undoubtedly in his mind.
Even Rooney did not play in a quarterfinals of the Champions League at his age. Bellingham did that, but his team lost. Faced with the Real Madrid of not only Bellingham, but Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior, Lewis-Skelly not only won the only assist of the game.
Nobody on the field created more opportunities. Only Martin Odegaard completed more fit in the last third part of the field. And he did all this while playing, apparently, like a left back. It did not limit its impact, forage ahead and then followed.
“Normally in a large club, when a young player comes through, is the easiest position to get through probably in full back,” said Carragher. “You stare yourself in the game. I am not saying that it is an easy position, but you don't have to be spectacular if you want.
“But he is spectacular on the left and he looks like one of the best players in the Arsenal team. He goes into the central midfield and receives the ball on the half turn. He has Mbappe and Vinicius Junior on both sides of him and he takes responsibility.
He added: “When we were young players, it was as if you wanted to get your first passage, not giving the ball away, you just want to build in a game. But he has that thing as if he is 26 and played his whole life and he is very, very special.”
Even the Spanish media, understandably aimed at Madrid, given that they have never had a bigger defeat in the first stage of a knockout tie of the Champions League, could not ignore what they saw from the youngest starter on the field.
Jose Maria Rodriguez, who wrote in Marca, described Lewis-Skelly as 'Great in his mobility in the field'. In Mundo Deportivo she enthusiastically about a performance to remember in attack and defense. Rodrygo was unable to dribble past him once.
Asked to participate in the choir of praise for Lewis-Skelly after the game, the sober Mikel Arteta wanted to focus the performance of the entire team, while they acknowledge that if these nights require a number of special efforts from his players.
“Collective When you play as we played and have the performance we had, you need individuals at the highest level. I think they have all brought the game to a different level, the individual performance to the standard that is needed to beat this incredible team.”
What will come afterwards? That is where Arteta is already shifting the focus. In response to that Lewis-Skelly question, he added: “I am very happy. Now it's about consistency.” Modric has been supplying for two decades. Arteta knows that this is the characteristic of greatness.
But it's also the past. The future, and perhaps, seems to be the present, belongs to the young man who has dumped Bellingham on his back. There is another task to do in the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium next week. But don't bet that Myles Lewis-Skelly is tearing through.
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