Bellingham’s Injury and Real Madrid’s Recent Triumph

omidbasir- Bellingham was determined to witness Los Blancos achieve a commanding home victory, a result that extended Real Madrid’s winning streak in the league to eight matches. Gonzalo Garcia put the Madrid giants ahead within the first five minutes, but Real Sociedad equalized in the 21st minute when Mikel Oyarzabal converted a penalty against Thibaut Courtois.

La Real remained level for only four minutes as Vinicius Junior restored Alvaro Arbeloa’s side’s lead midway through the first half. Federico Valverde then doubled Real Madrid’s advantage at the 30-minute mark, followed shortly by Vinicius Junior’s second goal, bringing the score to 4-1 shortly after the break.

This victory not only allowed Real Madrid to leapfrog their rivals Barcelona ahead of their match against Girona scheduled for Monday night, but also marked a rare public appearance of Bellingham and Castro together. Since going public about their relationship in January, the pair has kept details largely private. American model Castro, who turned 28 in December, first connected with Bellingham through Instagram.

Bellingham is now in a race against time to recover before England’s pre-World Cup friendlies against Uruguay and Japan next month, as the 22-year-old seeks to demonstrate his fitness ahead of the summer tournament in North America. Initially expected to miss only four weeks due to a hamstring issue, further scans revealed a more severe problem, extending his recovery timeline to six to eight weeks.

England’s head coach Thomas Tuchel, who recently extended his contract through Euro 2028, commented on Bellingham’s fitness following the Three Lions’ UEFA Nations League draw last week. “The club is somewhat cautious regarding the timeline for his recovery,” Tuchel said. “Jude is pushing hard, and as we know him, his determination and professionalism are commendable. He will do everything possible to join us in March. We maintain regular contact, and we wish him the best. We are here to support him in any way we can. It’s a tight race against time.”

When asked about Bellingham’s fitness for the upcoming matches, Tuchel expressed optimism but acknowledged uncertainty. Bellingham has established himself as a crucial player for both club and country since emerging in 2019. After moving to Borussia Dortmund in 2020, he joined Real Madrid in 2023, where he has scored 44 goals in 128 appearances.

However, Bellingham has only made 15 league starts this season due to shoulder surgery following the Club World Cup, delaying his first league start until the Madrid derby against Atletico at the end of September.

Unfortunately, Bellingham will miss several key matches for Real Madrid before next month’s international break. The Spanish side is set to renew rivalries with Benfica in the first leg of their Champions League playoff on Tuesday night. Notably, Benfica’s goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin scored a dramatic 98th-minute header in a previous 4-2 victory over Real Madrid during the group stage, which secured Benfica a playoff position at the expense of Marseille, while Real Madrid failed to finish in the top eight.

Following the match against Benfica, Arbeloa’s side will travel to Osasuna next weekend before the second leg encounter with Benfica to conclude February. Real Madrid is scheduled to face Getafe, Celta Vigo, Elche, and Atletico Madrid in March, ahead of the next international break. Additionally, should they progress past Benfica, Real Madrid will also participate in two round-of-16 Champions League ties against either Sporting CP or Manchester City.