Away from the late afternoon heat and deep inside the bowels of the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, Jude Bellingham was eager to speak.
This was game number 61 of his season and though he intends to make that 66 by the end of the Club World Cup, he also can’t wait to have shoulder surgery after the tournament. Put simply, he is ‘fed up’ of playing with a brace and wants his ‘old body back’, saying he has now ‘ran out of patience’ and is looking ahead.
‘Yeah, yeah, I’m definitely feeling it (the fatigue),’ Bellingham told Mail Sport. ‘With the new kits, new managers and new players coming, it probably kids you into thinking it’s a new season.
‘But you’ve already got 50 to 60 games in your legs and in this heat, you can definitely feel it. But the way I and the team are approaching it is that it’s five more games of graft and everything we’ve got to try and bring home another title,’ he added.
For Bellingham, whose shoulder surgery is pencilled in for the week after the Club World Cup final, there is already an eye on the World Cup next summer.
‘The pitches aren’t great at all. It holds the ball up. The ball barely bounces. It’s tough on the knees as well. Hopefully it’s something that someone will look at, going into next year.
Jude Bellingham netted in Real Madrid’s 3-1 win over Pachuca at the Club World Cup
The Spanish giants are on course to reach the knockout stages and finish top of their group
Bellingham claimed that the pitches ‘aren’t great at all’ and are ‘tough on the knee’s just one year out from the World Cup
‘It’s important we protect the players as well as giving the fans a great spectacle and giving them great games like today,’ he said.
If Madrid are to go all the way, then Bellingham will inevitably be key as he showed against Pachuca on Saturday. With his side down to ten, it was the Englishman who grabbed the game by the scruff of his neck and gave them the lead against the run of play.
But these are interesting times for the 21-year-old, with his compatriot Trent Alexander-Arnold now in Madrid and a new man in Xabi Alonso at the helm but the reality is that come next month, he will face a spell of three months on the sidelines when he goes for the procedure.
Alonso is very much a man who relies on structures and system rather than Carlo Ancelotti and believes that to get the best out of Bellingham, he must ‘start from the right position’ because he has ‘the soul of a midfielder’ and has ‘that great quality of being able to arrive’.
But Bellingham has always stressed his love to play with freedom – something which he did primarily under Ancelotti. Asked about his conversations with Alonso, Bellingham insisted that the pair are on the same wavelength, for now.
‘I think we’re both open about it. I think I’m at my best when I’m constantly involved in the game, whether it’s deeper or higher and when I’m getting on the ball and I’m making things happen – breaking lines, driving with the ball, getting into the box, scoring goals and making chances,’ Bellingham said.
‘I feel like when I’m free to be complete, that’s when I’m at my best. I think Xabi agrees with me in that sense. He’s put me in a position that I really enjoy playing, where I get a lot of touches and I’m involved a lot and I think the team benefits as a result so I’m really grateful for his trust in this game and hopefully going forward, it will be the same.’
The early signs are that the relationship between Alonso, 43, and Bellingham, 20 will only grow in strength, with the inevitable midfield link between the two.
Bellingham revealed that Trent Alexander-Arnold has already fit in well with his new team
Xabi Alonso has taken charge of Real Madrid after replacing Carlo Ancelotti for the competition
‘He’s a brilliant coach,’ said Bellingham. ‘His track record at Bayer Leverkusen was so impressive. And obviously as a player, he achieved everything. It’s amazing for someone in my position to learn something from him. I’m sure he’s got a lot of wisdom to give to me, Fede (Valverde), Aurel (Tchouameni), so we’re going to be be like sponges taking everything in and showing it out there.’
Another man who has taken everything in from Bellingham is Alexander-Arnold, 26, in his first couple of weeks at Madrid since moving from Liverpool.
‘He’s been really good. I think the lads have taken to him really well. Not only is he an amazing player, he’s a great guy as well. He’s already speaking a bit of Spanish,’ Bellingham said.
‘All the lads were impressed by that. It’s just about enjoying himself really. The pressure is going to be insane but I told him he’s here for a reason. He’ll do great things for the club and I think he already believes that he’s got that confidence.’
In the meantime, his brother Jobe will keep him busy throughout the start of the season as the 19-year-old begins life at Borussia Dortmund, scoring his first goal on Saturday.
‘We talk every day and I’m really proud of him,’ said Bellingham. ‘My parents are out here and they’re flipping between both our games so it’s been a really proud few days for our family. To watch my little brother play at the highest level is something I’ve dreamed of.’
