Jude Bellingham makes surgery decision with impact for Real Madrid and England

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Evening Standard

·23 de junho de 2025

Jude Bellingham makes surgery decision with impact for Real Madrid and England

Los Blancos star will miss the start of next season having opted for an operation after the Club World Cup

Jude Bellingham has confirmed that he will undergo surgery after the conclusion of Real Madrid’s Club World Cup campaign.

Vídeos OneFootball

The England midfielder has been battling a persistent shoulder issue over the past couple of years and has now decided to go under the knife in a bid to finally correct the long-standing problem.

“I’ve reached the point where the pain isn’t so bad, but I was sick of playing with the sling,” Bellingham said.

“I’m losing a lot of weight from sweating so much, and I’ve decided that I’ll have surgery after the tournament.

“I’ve been waiting for a long time, and my patience is running out, but the physios and doctors have been incredible. I just want to feel free.”

Bellingham was speaking after his man-of-the-match performance for Madrid in their 3-1 win over Mexican side Pachuca at the Club World Cup, where he opened the scoring as Los Blancos got their first win under new boss Xabi Alonso in Charlotte despite going down to 10 men after just seven minutes following the dismissal of defender Raul Asencio.

Arda Guler and Federico Valverde also netted for Madrid, who bounced back from a frustrating opening draw with Al-Hilal to top Group H on goal difference ahead of Austrians Red Bull Salzburg, whom they meet in Philadelphia in their final group clash on Thursday.

A blockbuster last-16 tie likely awaits against either Manchester City or Juventus from Group G.

Bellingham’s man-of-the-match display followed that of younger brother Jobe, who scored his first goal for Borussia Dortmund in their thrilling 4-3 victory over South African club Mamelodi Sundowns in Cincinnati on Saturday.

When exactly Jude undergoes surgery will depend on Madrid’s progress at the Club World Cup, with the round of 16 taking place from June 28-July 1, the quarter-finals across July 4-5 and the semi-finals on July 8-9, before the final in New Jersey on July 13.

The operation will see Bellingham miss the entirety of pre-season with Madrid and the start of the new LaLiga campaign, which begins on August 17. The league phase of the 2025/26 Champions League, meanwhile, commences across 16-18 September.

He also looks set to be absent for England’s next 2026 World Cup qualifying double-header in September, when they host Andorra at Villa Park before facing arguably their most difficult game in Group K away against Serbia in Belgrade.