Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham has been put through the rigours of top-level football for a full season in the Spanish capital, and has been almost omnipresent, despite his age. At one stage it looked as if a shoulder injury could get in the way of that.
Bellingham’s form tailed off after he dislocated his shoulder in November of 2023, but continued playing with protection on the shoulder. There was talk that he could need surgery before or after Euro 2024, but he appears to have escaped doing further damage.
The 21-year-old appears to have escaped any serious damage though. Ahead of Real Madrid’s Intercontinental Cup final with Pachuca, he was asked about it.
“It’s okay, okay. I’m still in the sling, which is a little uncomfortable, but the overall feeling is pretty good.”
In general, Real Madrid have suffered seriously from injuries, something Bellingham said they were working to fix.
“The number of games. The staff is looking for solutions to see what we need, trying to manage this and doing it very well. But the load of minutes accumulates, causes fatigue and that takes its toll. There comes a point that affects performance, especially when you compete against strong rivals and you need speed.”
“But it is what it is. We have to play a lot of games and we will try to do our best. In the summer we can rest a lot, but now we have games every three days.”
"I don't know if it's official. But if he has won it, I totally agree. It's a pleasure to play with him, he helps the team a lot… and to win titles. If he wins it, it would be very meritorious. And I would be very happy for him."
Jude Bellingham on #Vinicius winning #TheBest. pic.twitter.com/Ap9oLXD3Lf
— Football España (@footballespana_) December 17, 2024
Real Madrid have so far suffered 27 injuries in 24 games, with Bellingham himself missing nearly a month through a hamstring problem. While Carlo Ancelotti is getting players back, he will be without Dani Carvajal and Eder Militao for the rest of the season.