Jude Bellingham appeared in the press room at Doha's Lusail Stadium ahead of Real Madrid's Intercontinental Cup final against Pachuca (Wednesday, 6:00pm CET). The England midfielder said: "It's a great pleasure to be playing in another final, a very important game for us to win another title and continue to add to the club's global list of honours. It's a privilege to be part of it and hopefully we can win another title tomorrow."

“The dressing room is full of leaders and they chose me to speak in the press conference today. I wouldn't make much more of it than that. There are several players in this dressing room who are captains and leaders but the most important thing is that we respect each other and are able to delegate responsibilities because we all trust each other. I'm here today. I have different leadership qualities as a player and as a person, but I think the whole team has those too."

His form and going for every available trophy
“I've been able to get into the box a bit more in recent games, in the attacking spaces, picking up the ball in dangerous areas to get forward and score goals. I love doing it and I hope I can continue, because that's how I can help the team win games. On a collective level, we haven't started the season brilliantly and we haven't reached the required levels in certain games. Sometimes we've won a couple of games but then we've drawn or lost. It's been one step forward, one step back and that's disrupted the team's progress. It's a long season, a new team and we've had a lot of injuries as well, but we're calm in the dressing room about what we can achieve this season. I'm sure it'll be a great campaign and we can turn things around by playing some good football. We have to show that tomorrow."

Pressure and criticism
“Pressure is a privilege, being able to play for one of the best clubs in the world is the greatest privilege there is. Expecting that not to come with pressure would be ridiculous. I'm a football fan and I understand how things work. When you support a team and things aren't going well, there is criticism. As a professional, you have to accept that. As a team, you know if you're playing well or poorly, but that stays behind closed doors. Outside noise is acceptable but it's important we understand how we're performing. In terms of my contribution to the team, it's important I continue to learn and doing my bit in matches."

Level of the competition 
“I've never played for a Premier League team, I've played for Birmingham City. When Real Madrid turn up to any competition, they're there to win it. I can't speak for the Premier League clubs. We take our work very seriously and we want to win every trophy we can."

How's your shoulder?
“All good. I'm still wearing the sling and it's uncomfortable at times but in general, my shoulder is alright."

Do you prefer celebrating with your arms open wide or with a hug?
“I'm not bothered. As long as I'm scoring goals I'm happy. It's one of those things I've been doing ever since I was a kid and it's one way of celebrating a goal. If you'd rather I started hugging people, that suits me too."

Vinicius and The Best
“I'm not sure whether that's official but if he won, I absolutely agree. He really helps this team, he deserves to win it. I'd be thrilled for him."

Advice to himself
“To keep being myself. I don't think I'd change much in terms of the decisions I've made. I don't have any regrets. I try not to look back, I'm happy with how things are going."

Injuries
“It all depends on the number of games you have during the week, and the coaching staff have a fantastic approach to understanding what we need, whether that's more rest, more or fewer minutes on the pitch. The coaching staff are managing it really well. The games keep coming and that does cause fatigue. It catches up with your body and it gets to a point where that does affect your performance, both collectively and individually, especially when you're up against top sides and you need good pace. That's what is required and it's what we need in these games, so we'll try and do our best. I have managed to have a few days' rest but now we're playing matches every three days and that's the way it is."

What do you know about Pachuca and Mexican football?
“Ancelotti has told us a few things. It looks like they play some good football, high intensity, and they'll be very up for this game. I'm sure we're going to see a great match. They deserve to be here just as much as we do, so we have a lot of respect for them. We're staying humble and will try and do the best we can to win the game."

What's your favourite position on the pitch?
“Wherever Ancelotti decides to put me.”

You have a lot of fans in Arabic countries. What does it mean for you to play a game here?
“I can't make any promises in terms of lifting trophies but we're going to try and give our very best to get our hands on this one. We'll be up against a decent side and that's the challenge we're facing. From our point of view, we want to play for the fans all over the world and it will be a privilege to play in front of them and we hope they can enjoy our performance. Real Madrid is a global club and it doesn't matter whether we're playing in LaLiga, the Champions League or any other competition. The main thing is that the fans can enjoy us and I hope we can give them something to be proud of tomorrow."