Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham will be sidelined for the start of the 2025-26 La Liga campaign after undergoing shoulder surgery. The 22-year old has faced declining health since dislocating his shoulder in a La Liga match this past November 2023. Bellingham continued to play with a brace, but he chose to have surgery after the Club World Cup earlier this year.
So no matter what went down last week, Bellingham had successful surgery, he’s going to miss time – we’re talking up to 12 weeks. He’ll now miss the initial two months of the season while he goes through this recovery process. Among them is, of course, the long awaited Madrid derby against Atletico in late September. Further, he’ll miss Real Madrid’s first two games in the UEFA Champions League.
Bellingham vented his exasperation with the compromised joint, saying, “I’m sick to death of this brace. I’m sick of pulling at it, having other players yank at it as well. It’s just moving about all the time.”
The English international will also miss important World Cup qualifiers against Andorra and Serbia on September 6 and 9, respectively. His absence from these matches is a huge loss for the England national team. Regardless, they will have bigger problems if other players aren’t ready to step up and fill the gap left by Bellingham.
While it’s a long road in front of him, we’re feeling optimistic on his recovery timeline. Luckily for Bellingham, he will apparently return just in time. He’ll certainly be up for one of the season’s biggest showdowns when Real Madrid hosts Barcelona for the first Clasico in late October.
As he takes the first steps in his long rehabilitation process, fans and teammates on both sides of the Pacific are wishing him well. The 2025-26 La Liga season kicks off for Real Madrid on August 19 with a home fixture against Osasuna. Like their counterparts in San Jose, they’ll have a steep road to hoe these first few weeks without their star offensive midfielder.
