Jude Bellingham did what Jude Bellingham does. Or perhaps better put: what he has been doing again with greater regularity of late.
On Tuesday night, Real Madrid were pegged back by Elche after racing into a 2-0 lead. With time running out, Bellingham, a second-half substitute, provided the moment of magic to unlock a late winner for 3-2.
Picking up the ball in his own half, he held off a strong challenge from behind, keeping his balance as he drove up the pitch. A silky piece of skill and lung-bursting change of pace took him past another Elche tackle, before his through ball matched Kylian Mbappe’s run towards goal.
Carlos Espi — scoring his second stoppage-time winner of the season — provided the simple touch to put the ball home from Mbappe’s pass across. But Bellingham was the architect.
A draw against Elche — bottom of La Liga — would have shaken the foundations of Jose Mourinho’s side, who already dropped points in the 1-0 defeat against Real Betis on September 4.
It would have seen defending champions Barcelona end the matchday five points clear (instead of three) and put real pressure on the team leading into Sunday’s city derby at Atletico Madrid, where they were beaten 5-2 last term.
Bellingham’s bit of genius solved things. It also summarised his state of grace. Since the summer, the 23-year-old has made the difference when it really matters, for club and for country.
It comes after the most challenging spell of the Englishman’s career at the Spanish giants.
Bellingham’s debut season at the Bernabeu was 2023-24. He started with an extraordinary spell of form that immediately justified his €103million (£88m; $119m) price tag. By the end of it, he was a Champions League and La Liga title winner and his trademark celebration — soaking up the plaudits with his arms outstretched — had taken the football world by storm.
Madrid have not added to those major titles since and have moved on to their third manager since Carlo Ancelotti left at the end of 2024-25, when appointing Mourinho in June.
Bellingham is just one of several individuals who have come in for blame — and the heights he reached perhaps created greater expectations — and was struggling with a shoulder injury for some of his second campaign at the club.
But nonetheless, the mood around him just a year ago was very different to now.
Bellingham and Alonso during last September’s 5-2 defeat against Atletico (Angel Martinez/Getty Images)
On September 27 last year, Madrid also travelled to Atletico’s Metropolitano stadium in La Liga. Bellingham had not yet started a match that term, having undergone shoulder surgery on July 16.
Xabi Alonso, in his first real test as new Madrid boss, put him in the XI to face Diego Simeone’s side. Criticism towards Bellingham (who, again, was not the only player to put in a disappointing display that day), seemed to mark the start point of a period of instability, for both player and manager.
Bellingham’s commitment to Madrid and England meant he had postponed his operation, playing with pain and a protective splint.
The fans, the press and even some voices within the club pointed out that Bellingham was not yet ready for a demanding match, and Alonso put him on the bench for Madrid’s next two fixtures. His comeback had initially been expected in October.
Bellingham returned to the starting XI again for the 1-0 win against Getafe on October 19, but the tensions and turmoil of that season were only growing. By early January, Alonso had been sacked, with Alvaro Arbeloa promoted from the reserve team to replace his old friend.
Madrid fans let everyone know how they felt about the situation at the team’s first home game under Arbeloa on January 18. There were extraordinarily loud jeers and whistles directed towards the players, with particular intensity towards Vinicius Junior and Bellingham, and repeated chants against president Florentino Perez. The whistles would recur right up until the end of the season. Even now, they are still heard.
In the 6-1 Champions League victory over Monaco at the Bernabeu two days later, Bellingham celebrated a goal by mimicking drinking alcohol. There had been reports in the Spanish press questioning a supposedly excessive nightlife.
Bellingham celebrates his goal against Monaco in January (Aitor Alcalde/Getty Images)
Bellingham’s situation seemed to improve under Arbeloa, but the team failedd to win La Liga (finishing eight points behind Barcelona), the Champions League (losing in the quarter-finals to Bayern Munich) or the Copa del Rey (second-division Albacete eliminated them in Arbeloa’s first game in charge).
At the same time, Bellingham was also the focus of attention in England. There was even some debate about his role for the 2026 World Cup.
In June 2025, England coach Thomas Tuchel raised eyebrows when saying Bellingham’s behaviour could “intimidate” his international team-mates. He also said that his behaviour could be “repulsive” to some people, later apologising for using that word.
On October 3 that year, Bellingham was left out of Tuchel’s squad for games that month against Wales and Latvia, with the German saying he had not yet “gathered full rhythm” since his shoulder operation.
After returning to the squad the following November, Tuchel said he would “review” Bellingham’s reaction to being substituted during a World Cup qualifier against Albania, adding: “Behaviour is key.”
Bellingham’s seven World Cup goals included braces against Mexico and Norway (Dan Mullan/Getty Images)
Bellingham was a star for Tuchel at the World Cup. He was England’s top scorer with seven goals on the way to beating France in a third-place play-off. Alongside Harry Kane, he was the team’s standout leader, scoring vital goals against Mexico in the last 16 and Norway in the quarter-finals.
One person at Madrid was particularly pleased about this: Mourinho.
The Athletic reported in June that the Portuguese coach was very confident he could restore Bellingham to his best form, having spoken to him before the tournament. Mourinho’s plan was for him to play as a ‘No 10’ (central attacking midfielder) in his 4-2-3-1 formation, pushing him to be involved in many areas of the pitch but, above all, giving him freedom to attack.
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“Above all, he’s playing closer to goal,” says a source close to the coach, speaking anonymously, like others consulted for this article, as they did not have permission to comment. “He’s performing better because he’s running fewer kilometres.”
Mourinho himself reflected this during a press conference in August, saying: “I’ve agreed with him that I don’t want to see him playing almost as a second left-back any more, something I’ve seen him do many times.”
There is another factor apart from position: the new approach.
“He is really enjoying the new demands and mindset that (Mourinho) has brought,” that same source says.
Those present at Madrid’s training ground agree that Bellingham’s voice remains one of the most influential in the dressing room, both in training and on the pitch during matches. They also highlight his dedication.
“He always takes great care of himself and works very hard; he stays on every afternoon to recover and work out in the gym,” says a club source. “He’s the most disciplined player here, although there are plenty of players who no doubt do a lot at home.”
A brilliant World Cup with England, a positive start to the new term and a compelling rapport with Mourinho make Bellingham one of Madrid’s great hopes for a better result in this Sunday’s derby.
Like under Alonso last year, it may well serve as a barometer of what this season could bring.
