Real Madrid is set to lose one of its biggest stars for anything up to three months once he … More
Real Madrid is set to lose one of its biggest stars for anything up to three months once he undergoes long-awaited surgery, as reported by outlets such as The Athletic.
Jude Bellingham enjoyed one of the most impressive debut seasons ever witnessed from a Galactico after completing his $100 million-plus transfer from Borussia Dortmund in 2023.
Crashing into the box from midfield, he was almost La Liga’s top scorer ahead of many strikers. And while coming up short for the Pichichi handed to Spain’s top marksman, the 21-year-old still landed winners medals in the mentioned top flight, Super Cup and Champions League.
There have been fewer good things to say about 2024/2025, however. Forced to retreat back deeper in the field thanks to the arrival of Kylian Mbappe, Bellingham has been nowhere near as effective this term as Madrid was bulldozed by FC Barcelona in four Clasicos and lost the Copa del Rey and Super Cup finals to it while also ceding La Liga to the Catalans.
With little time to rest between campaigns because of England’s run to the Euro 2024 final where he was clearly exhausted, the number 5’s physical condition could have had something to do with his drop in form.
Bellingham’s shoulder has needed work on it for some time, and according to The Athletic, he will finally have surgery to treat it after the lucrative Club World Cup.
The newly-reimagined FIFA competition kicks off on June 14 and wraps up almost a month later on July 13.
Once it has done so, Bellingham is expected to go to the same clinic used by Eder Militao, Toni Rudiger and Ferland Mendy for recent operations to have one of his own.
Then, according to SPORT, Bellingham could be sidelined for up to three months, which will certainly mean that he misses the start of next season.
Incoming Real Madrid coach Xabi Alonso isn’t worried
Though his appointment hasn’t been announced officially yet, Xabi Alonso is expected to succeed Carlo Ancelotti in the Bernabeu hotseat.
He isn’t worried about losing Bellingham for the start of the new season, however, as that will be the “least damaging period” in his new sporting project.
There’ll still be plenty of time to “adopt the mechanisms of the new coach”, and of course recover his best form in a Real Madrid shirt in a new era for Los Blancos.
