UEFA NATIONS LEAGUE
Why didn’t Jude Bellingham play for England against Ireland in the UEFA Nations League?
Bellingham has missed Real Madrid’s last three games and was again absent as the Euro 2024 runners-up won in Dublin.
England were without Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham as they started their 2024/25 UEFA Nations League campaign with a 2-0 win over the Republic of Ireland in Dublin on Saturday (September 7).
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What injury does Bellingham have?
The 21-year-old has missed the LaLiga giants’ last three matches after suffering a plantaris muscle injury in his right leg on August 25. The plantaris is a long, thin muscle that runs down the back of the leg.
Bellingham posted on social media after the news of his injury broke, saying “Nothing I hate more than missing games but trying to see the positive side and maybe my body is telling me it needs a bit more rest after a busy year. I’m very frustrated but I’ll be supporting the lads like a fan until I can rejoin them again in my best and strongest form. Thanks for your messages of concern and support. 💪🏽Lots of love and Hala Madrid! 🤍”
When will Bellingham be back? How many Real Madrid games will he miss?
It was revealed that he would miss around a month of action in total, which includes England’s Nations League matches in September away to the Republic of Ireland and at home to Finland (Tuesday, September 10).
Bellingham will also likely sit out at least another three Real Madrid games, one of which will be the first game in the ‘new’ Champions League against Stuttgart at the Santiago Bernabéu on Tuesday, September 17.
The midfielder’s return to action should come in one of the following fixtures: the home game against Espanyol on the weekend of September 22 (absolute best-case scenario), the fixture against Alavés at the Bernabéu the following midweek, or the Madrid derby away to Atlético Madrid on the weekend of September 29.
Bellingham follows Cristiano Ronaldo onto YouTube
During his enforced absence due to injury, Bellingham announced on Thursday the release of a documentary that will air on his new YouTube channel. Titled ‘Out of the Floodlights’, the show will be split into four episodes which will air weekly and cover the player’s time at Real Madrid.