The midfielder is playing in a more withdrawn role for Los Blancos this season – but that isn't necessarily a bad thing
Midway through the second half of Real Madrid's derby clash with Atletico on Sunday, Jude Bellingham was up for a fight. Antonio Rudiger was scrapping with two opposing centre-backs from a Madrid corner, and when the big German went to the ground, Bellingham rushed to his defence.
It's admittedly unclear what was said between Bellingham and Jose Gimenez – the language barrier might have had an impact there – but fighting words were clearly exchanged. A couple of half-shoves followed before cooler heads prevailed, but it was the testiness of it all that counted. This was a derby, one that had to be stopped due to fan violence, and in the middle of it all was a fired-up Bellingham.
It all marks a new, updated version of the former Borussia Dortmund man. Last season, Bellingham was the new striker on the block, the pseudo-Karim Benzema replacement who was, at one point, a genuine contender to score 40 goals in all competitions for the best team in Europe.
This campaign, however, the goals have dried up. Now, he's the left sided No.8 he was perhaps always supposed to be; the all-round, all-action, box-to-box player who can do a bit of everything. The goals might have dried up, but Bellingham is still as effective as ever – just in a different way.
Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱GettyInstant impact
The English football world lost its collective mind – for a change – from roughly August to December of 2023. Bellingham's decision to join Madrid had been questioned by some. Was this 20-year-old really ready for it all? Could this Birmingham-born, Dortmund-developed child cut it for the biggest club, and biggest sporting brand in the world? With so many options in midfield, would he even start?
All of these questions were answered emphatically. Bellingham played early and often, and in a way few would have imagined. With Benzema leaving for the Saudi Pro League, Bellingham was deployed just behind the split strikers, Vinicius Jr and Rodrygo. And in that system, Bellingham – who had only scored double-digit goals in a season once previously – became Los Blancos' primary provider of goals. He broke records set by Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo. He turned the Clasico around with a brace. At one point, it wasn't hard to see him reaching 40 goals for the campaign.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesRegression
Of course, he slowed down; he was always likely to. There were some mild concerns when Bellingham started finding the net with less regularity during the second half of the campaign, even if his return of seven goals following the turn of the year was hardly poor.
But there were reasons. First of all, there was something of a natural regression to the mean. The bounces were less fortunate, the shooting less accurate. His return of 27 goals in all competitions from just 14.6 expected goals still stands as a statistical anomaly.
There were the more subtle differences, too. Bellingham's role changed slightly as the season wore on, as the England international retreated and played as more of a wide midfielder at times. By the end of the season, Madrid's system was something of a 4-2-2-2, rather than the 4-4-2 diamond that had seen Bellingham grab all of his goals. That meant Bellingham was shooting on fewer occasions, and doing so from less favourable positions.
And even more basically, others were grabbing the goals. Vinicius found a rich vein of form after Christmas, while Rodrygo also chipped in more. There was no longer a massive weight on Bellingham's shoulders to carry the team in an attacking sense.
GettyFinding a role
That pattern has merely continued this season. Thus far, Bellingham is yet to hit the back of the net, while he has assisted a goal just once. It is a good thing, then, that Madrid have some decent attacking players in their ranks.
Vinicius was the second-most prolific left-winger in world football last year, and Madrid did the logical thing last summer and added the only one who finds the net with more regularity. Kylian Mbappe hasn't quite bedded in at Santiago Bernabeu yet, however. The movements aren't fluid, the runs sometimes mistimed. But a glance at the stat sheet suggests that there's little to be concerned about.
Mbappe has five goals in La Liga, and another in the Champions League. Vinicius has scored three and assisted four in all competitions. Rodrygo, not to be outdone – yet somehow forgotten – has scored three and assisted a couple. Only Barcelona have scored more goals in the league, while Madrid have conceded fewer than their Catalan rivals and are one of two teams who are yet to lose. There is no Bellingham-related catastrophe to be found here.
Getty ImagesWaiting for his moment
As for Bellingham, he may merely be waiting for his moment to strike, given his propensity to produce when his team needs him most in high-profile situations.
For all of the rage and counter-rage that went with England's run to the final of Euro 2024, the image of Bellingham, rising to score a 95th-minute bicycle kick and equalise against Slovakia will remain one of the defining moments of the tournament. This was big-game Bellingham at his very best, producing the moment of magic amid a dour performance to save his team.
He did the same against Barcelona in both league Clasicos last season, scoring stoppage-time winners in each. He grabbed a crucial assist in the Champions League final, was instrumental in Los Blancos' sole goal at the Etihad Stadium in the quarter-finals to beat Manchester City, and assisted in the Supercopa final.
There is something about Bellingham and big games; he always seems to step up. Odds are, when Madrid need him, he will be there no matter what.
