Real Madrid have lost their big-game aura – and Spanish outlets are pointing the finger at Jude Bellingham.
Los Blancos suffered a 5-2 thrashing by rivals Atletico Madrid on Saturday, their heaviest derby defeat in 75 years, and also faced shellackings last season by Barcelona, Arsenal, and Paris Saint-Germain.
That has the press in Spain announcing the loss of their ‘infallible’ nature and claiming they have a ‘big problem’.
Bellingham made his first start of the season at the weekend and was warned he did not look ‘fit enough to start a scrappy and physical derby’ by fan media.
But it feels unfair to blame him for Madrid’s woes considering this was his first start in almost three months after surgery on a chronic shoulder issue in July.
Still, the Spaniards stuck in the knife. ‘Bellingham was lost,’ wrote Marca.
Jude Bellingham was ‘lost’ against Atletico Madrid and is part of Real Madrid’s ‘big problem’
Spanish outlets argues that Madrid have lost their aura in big games after such huge defeats ove the last year
Bellingham did not look ‘fit enough’ to play after recovering from his summer shoulder surgery
‘He’s far from his best form and right now he’s a player in pre-season,’ said AS.
In a wider context, they noted how Madrid had lost their identity on the biggest of stages.
‘That unbeatable and feared form seems to crumble when the most demanding challenges arrive,’ Marca wrote. ‘Real Madrid is no longer infallible in the games where the most is at stake.
‘Atletico de Madrid overwhelmed them in individual and collective duels . In matches that paralyze the world, Madrid has appeared more vulnerable than ever. And that’s a major problem for a team that has always frightened opponents on the most demanding stages.
‘Madrid hasn’t resolved a major problem.’
For all the doom and gloom, Xabi Alonso’s men are still second in LaLiga. This was, of course, their first defeat of the season; every other game has resulted in a win.
But such are the standards in the Spanish capital that the first shortcoming, even by a player who is just returning from injury, will be pounced upon. The message is: sink or swim.
Bellingham returned to the pitch earlier this month as he racked up minutes off the bench against Espanyol and Levante but this was his first start since last season.
He has reportedly cut his muscle and slimmed down to be a more aggressive pressing force
His training regime has been all about making him more agile to play in Alonso’s fluid side
The Real Madrid star underwent an operation in London in July to fix his shoulder
He finally underwent shoulder surgery in July – having played through his injury since November 2023 – and has since undertaken a mission to achieve a more streamlined physique, as per AS.
While he was playing with the blow, Madrid got Bellingham to pile on the muscle mass in a bid to protect his shoulder and prevent it from being dislocated again.
Now, though, they’ve asked Bellingham to trim down and become ‘sharper’ to play his role in Xabi Alonso’s high-octane pressing game.
The hope is that he can regain the form he initially showed after his £113million move from Borussia Dortmund in 2023.
In that first season, Bellingham banged in 23 goals and provided 13 assists, numbers which dropped to 15 each – still impressive – in his second campaign in the Spanish capital.
The 22-year-old underwent surgery in London over the summer after becoming ‘tired of playing with a sling’.
He fell awkwardly and dislocated his shoulder way back in November 2023 during a LaLiga match against Rayo Vallecano.
Bellingham played in all six of Madrid’s Club World Cup matches this summer, helping his side reach the semi-finals by contributing a goal and an assist along the way, but it was finally time to get his injury sorted properly.
