Real Madrid confirm Bellingham’s injury, out for a month

A source confirmed to ESPN that Bellingham, who is suffering from a muscle injury, will be out until mid-September.

---

MADRID — Midfielder Real Madrid Jude Bellingham suffered muscle injury in his right leg during training on Friday, the club confirmed.

A source told ESPN that he is expected to Bellingham be from short to mid septemberafter FIFA date.

“Following an examination carried out today by the Real Madrid medical services on our player Jude Bellingham, he has been diagnosed with an injury to the plantar muscle of his right foot,” the club explained.

Real Madrid will play their first home match of the season against Real Valladolid at the Bernabeu on Sunday after starting with a 1-1 draw at Mallorca last weekend.

It is another setback for Carlo Ancelotti, who basically has two options: Luka Modric or Arda Guler. The coach played down the significance of Bellingham’s injury, saying “it was just a knock” and that the coaching staff is assessing it.

Barring an unexpected turnaround in his recovery, Bellingham will miss the matches against Real Valladolid, Las Palmas and Real Betis. He will also be unable to join up with England against Ireland and Finland in the Nations League.

Club sources, controlled by ESPN, attribute the injury to pre-season strain and admit that these are typical early season ailments, without attaching any particular significance to it.

This match will see Kylian Mbappe make his home debut, having moved to Madrid this summer from Paris Saint-Germain.

“(Bellingham) has taken a hit,” manager Carlo Ancelotti told a news conference on Friday. “We are assessing it.”

The England midfielder scored 19 goals for Real Madrid last season and was outstanding in their first title of the campaign, beating Atalanta in the UEFA Super Cup last week.

Expectations are high for Real Madrid in 2024-25 after Mbappe joined a team that won La Liga and the Champions League, but Ancelotti’s side came under fire after dropping points in Mallorca.

“It was very clear in terms of assessment,” Ancelotti said. “Sometimes we lacked balance and we need to work on it. It’s not that difficult. When the problem is clear, there is a clear solution.”

Ancelotti denied there was a problem with the inclusion of striker Rodrygo, as well as Mbappe, Vinicius Junior and Bellingham.

“Rodrigo told me he is very happy here,” Ancelotti said. “He works hard, he has been one of the best in these games, so there are no problems with him.”