Real Madrid finds itself in a delicate situation after confirming that Jude Bellingham will be out for several weeks with a muscle injury, just as the season enters its most crucial phase.
The absence of the English midfielder, who has become the team’s barometer, threatens to be longer than initially thought and could affect both the fight for LaLiga and the Champions League campaign.
It all began on February 1, in the league match against Rayo Vallecano at the Santiago Bernabéu. Barely nine minutes had passed when Bellingham felt a twinge in the back of his left thigh and fell to the ground, clearly signalling a serious setback. There was no room for doubt: he was immediately substituted, and there were long faces on the bench, aware that this was not a simple knock. Subsequent tests detected an injury to the semitendinosus muscle, a sensitive area within the hamstrings, and therefore, difficult to manage for a player whose power and stride are essential to his game.
At first, the message that leaked out from the Real Madrid camp was relatively moderate: about a month out, enough time to miss a good chunk of the competition, but manageable within the schedule. That scenario already meant saying goodbye to several important league games and arriving very close to the Champions League round of 32 tie against Benfica.
However, as the days have passed, optimism has cooled, and a less favourable interpretation is gaining ground: recovery could take up to two months if the muscle does not respond as expected and if the coaching staff and doctors opt for a more conservative approach to avoid setbacks.
If this longer period is confirmed, the problem for Real Madrid will be multiplied. The team would lose Bellingham during a particularly busy period of the calendar, with European fixtures and league matches against direct rivals in which every point is worth its weight in gold. On a competitive level, it is not just the absence of one more player: it is losing the player who usually connects the midfield with the opponent’s area, who appears at key moments and who adds extra aggression to the team’s rhythm.
The context does not help. During their recent visit to Valencia CF, Madrid were already short on resources. Without Bellingham and Vinícius Jr., who was suspended, Álvaro Arbeloa was forced to adjust the midfield and forward line on the fly.
The coach has had to resort to alternative solutions, trying out new roles for his midfielders and spreading the offensive responsibility among several players at a time when the ideal would be to have the most settled lineup possible. The feeling is that each injury forces a rebuilding of the lineup in an environment where there is no time for too much rehearsal.
From here on out, time management will be key. Real Madrid needs Bellingham to compete at the highest level in the final stretch of the season, but knows that rushing his return would be like playing Russian roulette with his muscles and his chances of being in good physical shape for this summer’s World Cup.
