Jude Bellingham’s surprise Real Madrid partnership with Joselu is compared to that of Peter Crouch and Jermaine Defoe by the England midfielder

• The Madrid pair have struck a positive on-field relationship since their signings
• Crouch and Defoe made a name for themselves as a little and large partnership
• Click HERE to listen to the latest episode of Mail Sport’s ‘It’s All Kicking Off’

Jude Bellingham surprise partnership with Joselu is being likened to that of Peter Crouch and Jermaine Defoe.

The pair have formed an unlikely partnership since both joining Real Madrid in the summer, with Bellingham’s £113million move perhaps the headline transfer across world football in the summer.

Joselu’s move was a little lower profiled, though did raise a few eyebrows with most Premier League fans remembering the 34-year-old from unsuccessful spells at Newcastle and Stoke a few years ago.

He has done well since making the loan summer move from Espanyol, however, netting four times in nine games, including his side’s opening goal in their 3-0 win over Girona on Saturday.

Bellingham, who both scored and assisted in the game, took to Instagram to pay tribute to his new team-mate – who had shared an image of the two celebrating on his own page earlier this month – to coin the nickname, and it seems to have stuck since.

Jude Bellingham’s partnership with Joselu has been likened to that of Peter Crouch and Jermaine Defoe

Bellingham appeared to coin the phrase on an Instagram post of the two shared by Joselu

He has continued to comment on his team-mate’s posts referring to him as ‘Crouchy’ in the posts’ replies

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After Joslu picked up his first assist for Bellingham in a Madrid shirt in Carlo Ancelotti’s side’s 1-0 win over Celta Vigo at the end of August, the Spaniard shared an image of the two on his Instagram account.

‘We keep on adding up the wins! We’re going to have a great time in the making!’ Joselu posted, to which Bellingham responded: ‘Crouchy x Defoe.’

On September 17, Joselu scored the winner in Madrid’s 2-1 win over Real Sociedad and shared a post captioned: ‘How nice is it to win at the Santiago Bernabeu!!! See you again on Wednesday, with Bellingham replying: ‘Get in Crouchy.’

Both players have shone for Madrid since signing for the club in the summer – Bellingham from Borussia Dortmund and Joselu on loan from Espanyol

Peter Crouch (left) and Jermaine Defoe (right) became the most well-known ‘little and large’ partnership in football

Crouch and Defoe, now both retired, played together for three different sides including the England national team, while lining up in the Premier League for both Tottenham and Portsmouth.

They surprisingly only combined for nine goals in the 90 matches they played together, with Crouch assisting Defoe five times and four times the other way around.

But they became known as a little and large partnership, with Crouch standing at six foot seven and Defoe at five foot seven.

Both Joselu and Bellingham are tall, with the former six foot three and later six foot one, but the England midfielder has coined the term and it seems to have stuck.

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