Jude Bellingham will miss Real Madrid's La Liga clash with Real Sociedad on Friday night after being left out of the squad heading to the Arnoyeta Stadium.
Bellingham has been a leading figure for Madrid in 2023/24, scoring his 21st goal of the season in stoppage time last weekend to beat Barcelona. In his pre-match press conference, head coach Carlo Ancelotti admitted Bellingham had been dealing with a stomach problem but insisted the midfielder had the opportunity to feature against Sociedad.
But when the club announced their tour squad for Friday's game, Bellingham's name was missing. Brazilian striker Rodrygo is battling the flu but has been ruled out, while left-back Ferran Mendy has rested. '[Mendy] is good, but I would prefer him to continue playing in the Champions League," Ancelotti said.
Earlier this week, Bellingham won the Laureus World Sports Breakthrough of the Year Award 2024. Happily, the ceremony took place at Madrid's iconic Cibeles Palace. Since his transfer from Borussia Dortmund last summer for 134 million euros, the ceremony has given recognition to his influence, arguably exceeding expectations, even if his price makes him one of the most expensive players in history.
It wasn't the first time he did so this season to score against Barcelona last weekend, as he scored twice in a 2-1 win over Catalans at the Stadio Olimpico in October, including a stoppage-time winner.
Bellingham's goal made up for Madrid's lack of an acknowledged striker, and it was an addition to his campaign this season thanks to his more advanced midfield role, which has been compared to 2007 Ballon d'Or winner Kaka. His 17 league goals this season have surpassed the rest of his career in the EFL Championship and the Bundesliga combined.
Thanks to his derby goal at the Bernabeu, Bellingham is now also the all-time leading scorer in England history in Real Madrid's history. His 21 goals so far have been better than the previous record of 20 held by Laurie Cunningham (66 games) and David Beckham (159 games). Michael Owen scored 16 goals in his only season, while Steve McManaman scored 14.