Real Madrid superstar Jude Bellingham was a key reason for the Merengues winning the LaLiga and Champions League titles back in the 2023/24 season, which was his first in Royal White colors.
Although he just missed out on the Pichichi Trophy and didn’t get a real sniff of the Ballon d’Or with all the attention focused on Rodri and teammate Vinicius Junior, anyone could see how profound of an all-around impact Jude made as the 10 behind the forward duo of Vinicius and Rodrygo Goes.
This past season, Bellingham had another great campaign, but his impact was mitigated after the arrival of Kylian Mbappe and the tactical upheaval it caused, with Jude even relegated to such a deep position that he was basically used as a fullback at times.
The challenge for incoming manager Xabi Alonso will be to find the winning formula with Bellingham and the best position to maximize both Jude’s quality and Real Madrid’s success.
According to a report from Ruben Martin of Diario AS, Alonso is indeed interested in changing Bellingham’s position, switching him back from a No. 10 to a No. 8, playing him as a deeper-lying midfielder in a more traditional center midfield role.
Jude Bellingham is now the one to watch at the Club World Cup
Bellingham’s performances in this position during the Club World Cup will, per Martin, determine how Alonso and Real Madrid approach the remaining transfer window with regards to their interest in picking up another midfielder. Real were previously linked to Martin Zubimendi.
The position change for Bellingham will be welcomed by many Real Madrid fans, because even though Bellingham could impact the final third more as a No. 10 with nearly 20 goals in his debut Madrid campaign, his best position is as an 8.
He dominated the Bundesliga as their Player of the Season in 2022/23 before arriving in Madrid as a box-to-box midfielder. He can see more of the ball and affect the game more as a progressor, playmaker, and even defender; he is elite at just about everything involved in midfield play.
Plus, Real Madrid already have the goals. Mbappe scored more than 30 of them in a supposedly disappointing debut season in the Royal White kit, and Vinicius Junior should be able to score 15 of his own under Alonso.
There’s a hope that Rodrygo can bounce back to double-digit goals, too, if he stays and works with Alonso, and there is reason to believe he may choose to go that route.
The point is, Real Madrid have goal-scoring options already. What they can now do is see and get real-time data on how the team does with Bellingham as an 8, using that to judge if he should play there or as a 10, and if Real Madrid need to sign another midfielder, whether that be a box-to-box player, a more defensive-minded midfielder, or an orchestrator a la Toni Kroos.
Joe Soriano covers Tottenham for FanSided’s Hotspur HQ and writes about Real Madrid for The Real Champs. He has extensive experience covering world football since 2014. Joe is an editor for The Trivela Effect, where he covers the biggest clubs in European football. He has watched professional sports regularly since 2002 and can be found playing the same sports he covers with his friends.