Real Madrid

Watch out Jude: only Bellingham left as Ballon d’Or curse strikes again

Of the three top players in the world, only Jude remains injury free.

Of the three top players in the world, only Jude remains injury free.
ISABEL INFANTES
Joe Brennan
Born in Leeds, Joe finished his Spanish degree in 2018 before becoming an English teacher to football (soccer) players and managers, as well as collaborating with various football media outlets in English and Spanish. He joined AS in 2022 and covers both the men’s and women’s game across Europe and beyond.
Update:

First up: Rodri. After that: Vinicius Jr. Up next: Jude?

The top two players in the world have both fallen to injury and have blamed the tough calendar on their physical issues, with Real Madrid winger the latest name to come out publicly to whip a sharp tongue at the fixture list.

While it appeared that Vinicius Jr did not suffer any problems in Madrid’s ultimately comfortable win over CD Leganés in LaLiga, the club confirmed the morning after the game that the Brazilian would be out of action for at least 3 weeks - until around December 18 - with a hamstring injury.

Bellingham the last man standing

Vini Jr took to social media to blame the “crazy calendar” for his injury, relaying the very same message that Rodri had done just weeks before, on the eve of his severe injury.

The Ballon d’Or holder suffered an ACL tear as well as meniscus damage in a 2-2 draw against Arsenal in September.

Daniel Carvajal, Real Madrid’s captain, is also out for the long term after suffering a triple rupture in his knee late in the LaLiga game against Villarreal. He came 4th in the Ballon d‘Or rankings and also publicly came out against the ’senseless' football calendar back in August.

Watch out Jude: only Bellingham left as Ballon d’Or curse strikes again
Carvajal suffered a horrendous injury against Villarreal.JAVIER GANDUL
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In fact, of the top 10 in the final Ballon d’Or rankings, only one player has not been injured this season: Erling Haaland. Rodri, Vinicius Jr, Bellingham, Carvajal, Mbappé, Lautaro, Lamine Yamal and Kane (Kroos is retired) have all suffered injuries this season.

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