Real Madrid superstar center midfielder Jude Bellingham has been out since early February with a hamstring injury, as the England international has not played a game in the league since only lasting 10 minutes on Feb. 1 vs. local rivals Rayo Vallecano before going down.
Alongside Kylian Mbappe, Bellingham missed this past Champions League Round of 16 clash with rivals Manchester City, though Federico Valverde stepped up so Real won 3-0 in a breeze.
Still, Real are better when Bellingham is in the midfield as another world class workhorse. According to a report from The Athletic’s Guillermo Rai, the most realistic return date for the young star is the upcoming Derbi against Atletico Madrid. He is said to be working hard to speed up his return process.
Real Madrid will face their biggest rivals in the capital on March 22, which is actually a handful of days after the second leg of the Champions League Round of 16, so it looks like Jude will miss both battles with Manchester City.
Since Real have such a commanding lead, it is better to rest Jude than risk him, and Madrid have found Atleti tougher opponents lately, having been embarrassed by them in their first La Liga encounter of 2025/26.
Joe Soriano is the editor of The Trivela Effect and a FanSided Hall of Famer who has covered world football since 2010. He’s led top digital communities like The Real Champs (Real Madrid) and has run sites covering Tottenham, Liverpool, Juventus, and Schalke. He also helped manage NFL Spin Zone and Daily DDT, covering the NFL and pro wrestling.