Earlier on this week, in London, Real Madrid and England star Jude Bellingham finally received surgery on his shoulder. The start of his shoulder issues can be pinpointed all the way back to December of 2023.
Yet, only now – in July 2025 – has the Englishman had surgery. He was 20 when he first injured his shoulder, and he is now 22. So the question is – what has taken so long?
During the 23/24 season, Bellingham was a key player for Real Madrid, as they won La Liga and the Champions League. He then scored two important goals for England at Euro 2024, helping them to a second successive final.
The first six months can be excused for there being no surgery, there simply wasn’t any time. However, the longer and longer after that, where he continued to play through pain and with a strap – the more avoidable this all could have been.
In the days after the Euro 2024 final, Bellingham could have in theory had his surgery, before resting up and going on holiday – whilst missing the first two or three months of the 24/25 season. Instead, surgery was delayed, and he continued to play as normal.
Back in May, Real Madrid lost 4-3 to Barcelona in El Clasico, effectively ending their hopes of retaining La Liga for the first time since 2008. Weeks earlier, they had been knocked out of the Champions League by Arsenal at the quarter-final stage.
There is no reason why Bellingham could not have had surgery the day after the defeat to Barcelona. Los Blancos had nothing left to play for.. that is, other than the Club World Cup.
Yes, that’s right – the first edition of the new iteration of the Club World Cup meant that Bellingham did not have surgery. Instead, he and his team mates swanned around in 35-40 degree heat, lost 4-0 to PSG, and wasted everyone’s time.
Now, instead of potentially having a fully rested and fresh Bellingham for the start of the 25/26 season, Xabi Alonso’s side will have to wait until October or November to have the 22 year old at their disposal, having had no pre season under his belt.
England manager Thomas Tuchel said himself, in May, that the surgery should have happened a while ago: Jude has played for many months – way too long, maybe – with this issue. He plays with this huge shoulder strap under his shirt. I understand that he will go to the Club World Cup, and then at some point have surgery.
From a purely medical point [of view], it [surgery] should be yesterday. They keep delaying, because of the importance of Jude.” So, even Tuchel thinks so. Albeit, he didn’t have to play him against Andorra and Senegal either.
Pretty much a year to the day after he should have had surgery, the attacking midfielder finally did so and will now hopefully be free of pain the next time he plays football in the Autumn. You just have to hope playing through pain for 18 months won’t come back to bite later on in his career.
