The Matches Jude Bellingham Will Miss After Shoulder Surgery | OneFootball

Real Madrid have been dealt a cruel injury blow a month before the beginning of the 2025–26 season after Jude Bellingham recently underwent shoulder surgery.

The 22-year-old went under the knife to remedy a recurrent dislocation on his left shoulder but now faces a lengthy rehabilitation period. He is guaranteed to miss the beginning of the new campaign and is not likely to return until the beginning of October.

A recovery period of 10-12 weeks has been touted for the England international, who will be sorely missed by new Madrid boss Xabi Alonso at the beginning of his first season in the hot seat.

With the 2025–26 La Liga schedule having been revealed, here are the matches Bellingham will miss.

La Liga Matches Jude Bellingham Will Miss for Real Madrid

Bellingham will be absent for the opening two months of the season. / IMAGO/Guillermo Martinez

If Bellingham is absent for 12 weeks due to his shoulder operation, the midfielder would make his Madrid comeback on October 8. That means he would be sidelined for eight La Liga matches, although he would be available in time for the first El Clásico of the campaign at the end of October.

Bellingham will miss Madrid's season opener against Osasuna at the Santiago Bernabéu, followed by meetings with newly-promoted Real Oviedo (A|) and then Mallorca (H) during the remainder of August.

In September, Bellingham will sit out battles with Real Sociedad (A), Espanyol (H), Levante (A) and, most importantly, the derby with Atlético Madrid (A). Los Blancos kick off October against Villarreal (H)—the final league match for which he will be in the fitness room.

Will Jude Bellingham Miss Champions League Matches?

While Madrid don't yet know their league phase opponents for the upcoming Champions League campaign, they can be more or less certain that Bellingham will be absent for their opening two encounters.

Madrid will begin their European adventure in mid-September, followed by their second league phase outing on either Sept. 30 or Oct. 1.

Bellingham should return for Madrid's third fixture on Oct. 21–22, while he won't miss any Copa del Rey or Supercopa de España action given the opening fixtures in those competitions don't come around until January 2026 for Alonso's side.

Matches Jude Bellingham Will Miss for England

Thomas Tuchel will be without Bellingham for the September break. / IMAGO/Pressefoto Baumann

The first international break of Madrid's 2025–26 campaign arrives at the beginning of September and Bellingham won't be involved in England's 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Andorra or Serbia. The Three Lions should be able to cope without him for those fixtures.

The second international break of the term will be staged between October 6 and 14, with Bellingham unlikely to be involved in Thomas Tuchel's squad unless his recovery is speedier than expected. England might have to face Wales in a friendly and then Latvia in World Cup qualifying without him.

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