Jude Bellingham is back and hoping to dominate Europe and Spain with a new supercharged physique.
The Englishman is set to take on a more ‘aggressive’ role by taking on a leaner form which will help him hound the opposition and wriggle away from them easier on the ball.
Bellingham played his first minutes of the season on Saturday as he came on late in Madrid’s 2-0 win over Espanyol in LaLiga, a game which saw Marcus Rashford provide another assist.
He finally underwent shoulder surgery in July – having played through his injury since November 2023 – and has had to sit out of the action since then while sporting a nasty scar.
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, according to AS. That physique was visible in his photoshoot for the clothing brand SKIMS, which is majority owned by Kim Kardashian, and he even had a snap with the American reality star.
Now, though, they’ve asked Bellingham to trim down and become ‘sharper’ to play his role in Xabi Alonso’s high-octane pressing game.
A trimmed-down Jude Bellingham is back in action for Real Madrid after his summer surgery
The England star has cut his muscle and slimmed down to be a more aggressive pressing force
Bellingham, pictured in 2024, previously bulked up to help protect his fragile shoulder
He posed for a selfie with Kim Kardashian after modeeling for the brand she majority owns
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.
After making his return at the weekend, Bellingham wrote: ‘Missed this and all of you so much. Truly humbled by the love you gave me in the stadium today and the support from everyone throughout my recovery, it means the world to me. Now for more. Hala Madrid!’
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.
Posting on Instagram after the surgery, he wrote: ‘thank you to Andrew Wallace and Susan Alexander, their team and everyone at Fortius Clinic for the surgery and hospitality.
‘To Ivan Ortega and Dr Leyes for travelling to support. And finally, to everyone else for all the well wishes and messages of love. The process to come back has already started, see you soon.’
He sported a slightly trimmer figure over the summer as he took part in the Club World Cup
His training regime has been all about making him more agile to play in Alonso’s fluid side
Bellingham’s scar from surgery on his left shoulder was seen for the first time in August
The Real Madrid star underwent an operation in London in July to fix the problem
There was a chance that he would have to wait until November to make his return, so at least he has not had to hold out until then.
If his reintegration into the team goes to plan, he could start in their derby against Atletico Madrid later this month and face Liverpool at Anfield in the Champions League on November 4.
