Why isn’t Jude Bellingham playing for Real Madrid against Valladolid?

Jude Bellingham’s superb debut season for Real Madrid could well be the benchmark against which Kylian Mbappé will be judged as he prepares to make his Santiago Bernabéu debut for the LaLiga giants against Valladolid on Sunday (August 25). The pair, along with Vinícius Júnior and Rodrygo, are expected to form a devastating attacking quartet for Carlo Ancelotti’s side, although the Englishman won’t be involved as Los Blancos play their first home game of the 2024/25 season.

What injury does Jude Bellingham have?

In his pre-match press conference before Sunday’s game, Ancelotti was asked why Bellingham hadn’t been able to complete Friday’s training session, revealing he had “taken a blow” and was undergoing tests to assess the extent of the damage.

Soon after, Real Madrid posted on the official website the former Borussia Dortmund star had suffered a plantaris muscle (a long, thin muscle which runs down the back of the leg) injury in his right leg.

The club itself didn’t reveal how serious the injury was, but The Athletic were among the first to report Bellingham was expected to be out of action for a month. That is set to see him miss a minimum of six matches, five in LaLiga and one in the league phase of the ‘new’ Champions League, for which the draw has yet to be made.

When will Jude Bellingham be back for Real Madrid?

The 21-year-old’s return to action is likely to come in one of the following fixtures: the home game against Espanyol on the weekend of September 22 (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.