Jude Bellingham has set aside his disappointment of being snubbed for an England call-up by visiting Madrid Safari.
The Real Madrid midfielder, who has only recently returned from shoulder surgery, was told by England manager Thomas Tuchel that he was not being called up, despite Bellingham requesting selection.
Bellingham, however, has put his extra free time to good use as he posted a relaxed photo of himself feeding giraffes.
The visit comes on the back of a tricky time for the England star, after having been also axed from Real Madrid’s 2026 calendar having been one of the cover stars in the 2025 edition.
He has also been the subject of criticism from the Spanish press, in which he has been criticised for a lack of fitness, and featured in Real Madrid’s 5-2 thrashing by city rivals, Atletico Madrid – their worst derby defeat in 75 years.
Whilst the safari visit will provide a welcome distraction, there is no let up for the midfielder with key fixtures on the horizon for Real Madrid with Juventus and Barcelona both visiting the Bernabeu before the end of October.
Jude Bellingham (right) is enjoying his downtime this international break by visiting Madrid Zoo
Bellingham has been omitted from the England squad by Thomas Tuchel for October’s games
Bellingham is also a surprise omission from Real Madrid’s 2026 calendar after being a cover star for their 2025 edition
And the 22-year-old will be hoping to remind Tuchel of his qualities ahead of the international break in November.
Speaking last week, Tuchel claimed that the ‘teamwork’ and ‘team spirit’ were at their peak in September’s camp without Bellingham.
‘The last camp was only three and a half weeks ago. Teamwork, team spirit were at the highest level so far,’ said Tuchel. ‘That’s why we decided to invite the same group into this camp, to make more stable what we started to build.
‘Are there players out there who deserve to be with us? Yes, for sure. Is there a way back into the team through performance? 100 per cent.
‘We think this is the best and most straightforward position. The competition is on to be in the squad and to make it onto the pitch.
‘I understand your focus on Jude [Bellingham]; he is a very special player, and for special players, there are special rules.
‘But for this camp we decided to stick with out decision to invite the same team, that also applies to Jude. He always deserves to be in camp.
‘There is also the situation that he hasn’t gathered his full rhythm for Real Madrid. He hasn’t finished one full match until now; he has only started one now.
‘He is getting back to full strength. We had a phone call. There is no issue from that side, he just lacks rhythm.’
