LALIGA
Why isn’t Jude Bellingham playing for Real Madrid against Las Palmas in LaLiga?
Bellingham has scored 18 goals in 26 appearances for Los Blancos this season but won’t add to his tally in the Canary Islands.
Jude Bellingham has made quite the start to his Real Madrid career, surpassing expectations since moving to the Spanish capital from Borussia Dortmund last summer. The England midfielder has been a key man as Los Blancos have stormed ahead of Barcelona in LaLiga, although Carlo Ancelotti has to make do without him for Saturday’s game away to Las Palmas.
That Bellingham is one of the hottest young talents - and indeed talents of any age - in world soccer has been common knowledge for a number of years, yet Madrid would still not have expected the 20-year-old to make the impact he has done.
Bellingham’s best goalscoring season of his career
His previous season’s best for goals came in 2022-23 for Dortmund, when he netted eight times in the league and 14 in all competitions. But the Englishman outdid Cristiano Ronaldo by scoring five goals in his first four LaLiga games for Los Merengues and he has continued to be a regular contributor in the final third, with 18 strikes in 26 appearances overall so far. That has included a match-winning double away to Barça and a number of other decisive goals, especially early on in the campaign.
Bellingham’s form has played a huge role in allowing Real Madrid to move seven points clear of their bitter Clásico rivals in LaLiga (although they have surprise package Girona ahead of them) and qualify for the Champions League Round of 16 with the minimum of fuss.
How many Real Madrid games has he missed? What is their record without him?
The midfielder has featured in all but four of his team’s matches this term, although that extends to five in Saturday’s game away to Las Palmas. Coincidentally, Bellingham was rested for the season’s first meeting with the Canary Islanders, which Madrid won 2-0, while Ancelotti also opted to leave him on the bench for the Copa del Rey third round 3-1 victory over fourth-tier team Arandina.
The former Dortmund man also didn’t feature in the 3-0 Champions League win over Braga and then 5-1 thrashing of Valencia, the two games immediately after he dislocated his shoulder in the home draw with Rayo Vallecano.
Bellingham suspended for Las Palmas clash
Bellingham won’t play in Las Palmas for an entirely different reason. Deep into stoppage time in the controversial victory over Almería last Sunday, he was shown his fifth yellow card of the league season for arguing with opposing striker Luis Suárez (not the Inter Miami one, of course) and has incurred a one-match suspension as a result.
Ancleotti therefore isn’t able to call upon one of his star performers on Saturday, although things haven’t gone too badly this season for Real Madrid when they have been without Bellingham, winning four games out of four.
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