The Spanish giants put in an impressive rearguard action as they overcame Manchester City on penalties after a 1-1 draw (4-4 on aggregate) and the midfielder felt that the collective hard work and concentration of the players saw them through to the last four.

Bellingham, who converted his penalty in the shootout, told TNT Sports: "You put so much into the game.

"I have played City before and it’s been close and you feel like you are going to get something out of it and then all of a sudden they snatch it away from you. You have to work really hard to beat them and I was pretty much dead on my feet at the end. To win the game is a massive reward.

"It’s so difficult because they are continuously probing with the ball, they move you around and take you into positions you don’t sometimes want to go, but you have to follow otherwise they can punish you, and they did for the goal.

"Most teams at that point would fall apart when City get on top of you and the crowd gets going, but we stood up really well and we worked hard."

Real are aiming to add to their illustrious history in the Champions League and the England international credited the calming influence of manager Carlo Ancelotti for their composure on the big stage.

Bellingham said: "Our biggest strength is that he finds a way to let the boys play with freedom.

"Some teams are a bit more structured in terms of their passing styles and patterns of play and it’s really interesting to watch and it’s difficult to play against, but one of our biggest strengths is that we are so off the cuff.

"As a man he fills you with calmness and confidence. Before the game I caught him yawning and I said, ‘Boss are you tired?’ and he said, ‘Yeah, you need to go and excite me out there.' That’s the kind of confidence and calmness he brings."