Jude Bellingham has had his injury problems since joining Real Madrid, with the latest having recently come to an end. His appearance in last weekend’s Madrid derby ended a seven-week absence caused by a hamstring tear, and while he admitted that he struggled mentally during this period, it was not the hardest of his time at the Bernabeu.
Back in November, just months into his Real Madrid career, Bellingham dislocated his shoulder during a match against Rayo Vallecano. He only missed a couple of weeks of action at the time, but it eventually led to him undergoing surgery almost two years later.
Speaking on his JB5 app (via Cadena SER), Bellingham opened up on that initial injury against Rayo, which he labelled as the worst pain he’s ever felt.
“It all started on the day of the match against Rayo. It was the most painful sensation I had gone through so far. I felt like it took forever until they put it back in place… and it was only 90 seconds from when they entered the field.”
Bellingham: I should’ve had surgery sooner
It was not the first time Bellingham had injured his shoulder, and previously, he opted not to undergo surgery – a decision that he would come to regret in the years after.
“Previously I was able to put it on once when it came out. In my last season at Dortmund, at the beginning, they already told me that I had to have shoulder surgery, after a bad fall. I knew something wasn’t right, but it was August-September and the World Cup was in December, that’s why I didn’t have surgery.
“When I arrived in Madrid I was in no pain. Everyone told me that I had to have surgery anyway, but it was my first year at Real Madrid and I didn’t want to leave the team stranded and be out for three months. The shoulder injury had a lot of effect on the rest of my body. I didn’t have much pain, but playing knowing that if I fall it can come out again makes me not be able to be at the best level.”
Bellingham also revealed that he could’ve undergone surgery in the summer of 2024, but after losing the Euro 2024 final to Spain, he did not want that to be his final action for a number of months.
“I didn’t want it to be my last taste in my mouth for three months, but that would have been the best time to have surgery. I decided to continue for another year and I shouldn’t have done it. Last year made me understand that I couldn’t take it for granted to win again. Now I’m better physically and I can get back to my level.”
