The first season was like a dream; the second – pure struggle. Upon his arrival in Madrid, Jude Bellingham captivated everyone, quickly establishing himself as a central figure – or at least one of them – winning over fans and earning the blind trust of Carlo Ancelotti. He scored numerous goals from deep, played as a second striker, even as a false nine. The game revolved around the Englishman. In recent months, however, he’s been a shadow of his former self.##EDITORS_CHOICE##He no longer plays in his former position at the Santiago Bernabeu and no longer resembles that Jude Bellingham. He’s lost the influence he once had, especially at the start. By this time last year, he had scored 13 goals and was the decider in El Clasico at Montjuic. Yet, since the start of this season – none! He’s become the biggest casualty in Real Madrid’s new order.Bellingham spent the entire summer anxious, with moments during the European Championship where he couldn’t contain his emotions, almost risking a red card at one point. It was as if he sensed what awaited him in the late summer and early fall, with Kylian Mbappe arriving in Madrid. His status changed quickly following the arrival of the French superstar, especially in terms of his place in the hierarchy.##NAJAVA_MECA_8466988##Now, things revolve primarily around Vinicius Junior and Kylian Mbappe. Whether these choices are beneficial can be debated, but one thing is clear: Bellingham is struggling to adapt to his new role. He no longer stays close to the goal; he’s quite far away now, and at times, he seems deflated. Since the season began, his concrete contributions include just three assists – one each in the Super Cup, Champions League, and La Liga. In the El Clasico played at the Santiago Bernabeu, where Barcelona thoroughly defeated the Royal Club, he delivered perhaps his weakest performance since arriving.He had only 17 touches with the ball – his lowest since Real Madrid paid €113 million for him. He’s caught in a vicious cycle, his influence minimized, and recently, Don Carlo remarked that last season’s performance wasn’t a realistic benchmark.“He’s sacrificing, and we’re happy with his work and commitment. He’s making an effort. He hasn’t scored like last year, but that season was an anomaly, not the norm,” Carlo Ancelotti noted.Trouble in paradise? Vini rejects Real’s extension proposalThe Englishman has come down from the clouds over Madrid to earth. Grounded, he’s a bit offended and hurt by everything happening. He’s uncomfortable with his new role and struggling to find his place on the field alongside Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior, and Rodrygo…He has to run more, doing the grunt work. He foresaw this change after the Super Cup match against Atalanta.“It’s easier to score when you’re closer to the opponent’s goal; maybe this season, I’ll have to adjust. I think that’s fine,” Bellingham said at the time.He could have expected things to change, was aware it was coming, and prepared himself… but could he have predicted such a lean first half of the season? Hardly. And it’s not the only thing troubling the young man who re-ignited the “Hey Jude” chant.Benzema: Rodri doesn’t have that WOW factorAlthough he remains silent, he’s offended and hurt that Real Madrid didn’t even mention him in the Ballon d’Or race. That’s a story in itself.The Royal Club pushed Vinicius and – embarrassed itself. It made moves unworthy of a club of its stature. It didn’t travel to the gala event in Paris; no one from its delegation was present. The plane was canceled, and it was hard for Florentino Perez and his associates to accept that the Ballon d’Or went to Rodri, not one of their players.They released a statement mentioning runner-up Vinicius and Dani Carvajal but not Jude Bellingham, even though he placed third!“If the criteria are such that Vinicius wasn’t named the winner, then it should have been Carvajal. Since that’s not the case, it’s clear that the Ballon d’Or and UEFA don’t respect Real Madrid. And Real Madrid doesn’t go where it isn’t respected.”“Vinicius ciao ciao“Not a word, not a letter about the Englishman.Jude Bellingham was one of the few Real Madrid players who did not publicly show support for Vinicius on social media. He remained silent.Issues at the Santiago Bernabeu could intensify and multiply in the coming period…
