Midfield maestro Jude Bellingham often doesn’t get enough credit for his versatility. In fact, the England international believes he is a “victim” of his own ability to play different positions at Real Madrid.
In the three seasons that Bellingham has donned a white shirt, the 22-year-old has operated as a false nine, a No. 10, a left midfielder, a central midfielder and a quasi-fullback. With so many injuries plaguing Los Blancos in recent times, he and Federico Valverde paid the price more than any two players on the team.
Playing under three managers with three different systems didn’t help bring stability to Bellingham’s game. Most recently, the midfielder finds himself in a deeper position than perhaps he prefers.
The One Quality That Allows Bellingham to Continuously Adapt
Swapping positions so much, especially when there is a clear role in which Bellingham is at his best, is no doubt frustrating for the Englishman, who admitted the continuous changes present unique challenges.
“In the first year, we played with a kind of three-base midfield,” Bellingham explained in his prematch press conference. “I played up top of that midfield in like a diamond with two wingers like strikers ahead of me. The second year was a bit more off the left, coming inside and this season with Xabi [Alonso] and with [Álvaro] Arbeloa, I’ve been asked to play a little bit deeper.
“One of my qualities is that I can play in different positions and do different things to a good level and I think sometimes maybe I’m a little bit of a victim to that, in terms of having to be moved around if things aren’t going well. But it’s definitely a change, it’s one that I’ve had to kind of get used to.”
Perhaps to his detriment, Bellingham brings a remarkable work rate that allows him to play so many different roles for Real Madrid. Whether he’s dropping deeper or starting as an attacking midfielder, the ex-Borussia Dortmund standout is making runs into the box—usually more than Kylian Mbappé.
Whether he’s playing as a false nine or a left midfielder, he’s tracking back and covering ground for his fellow teammates who are less interested in defending. All the while, his pristine passing and vision in the final third allows him to still create goalscoring opportunities.
But those just looking at a scoresheet might not realize all the sacrifices Bellingham makes.
Bellingham’s Storybook Debut Campaign Set Him Up for Failure
Bellingham put together one of the best debut seasons in a white shirt of all time back in 2023–24. Operating as a false nine behind Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo, the midfielder tallied 23 goals and 13 assists. He helped Real Madrid claim La Liga, the Champions League and the Spanish Super Cup, and finished third in the Ballon d’Or voting.
Yet his role drastically changed upon the arrival of Mbappé in 2024–25, and his production suffered. Suddenly in 52 appearances, Bellingham only managed to record 14 goals and 13 assists. What people often fail to realize, though, is that he was having to primarily defend in half of his appearances just to keep Real Madrid’s beaten backline from conceding five goals a game.
The England international no doubt hoped 2025–26 would be a bounce-back season, one in which he could get back to at least playing as a No. 10, but injuries and new tactics from Xabi Alonso and then Álvaro Arbeloa hindered his progress, inviting more—usually unjust—criticism his way.
“When I’m scoring goals, everyone wants me to be more involved in the buildup and when I’m not scoring, everyone wants the opposite. It’s important for me to find balance, understand what I can give the team, even when I’m not scoring, and hopefully I can just keep practicing and understand whatever role the manager wants me to do.”
Speaking of balance, should Real Madrid sign a deep-lying playmaker this summer to replace Toni Kroos and Luka Modrić, then Bellingham could be free to finally stop plugging holes all over the pitch and get back to where he is at his best.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Jude Bellingham Highlights Key Attribute That Works Against Him at Real Madrid.
