Real Madrid had the best team in world football at the club level last season, as they rampaged through LaLiga with ease and then bossed the Champions League by eliminating elite sides Manchester City and Bayern Munich before disposing of Borussia Dortmund 2-0 in the final.
However, as much acclaim as Real Madrid’s young attacking superstars Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo Goes, and Jude Bellingham received during the 2023/24 season, all three of them have been quite poor at the international level this summer.
Juxtaposed to Real Madrid teammate Toni Kroos’ continued Ballon d’Or-level performances in a Germany shirt, Bellingham has not-so-quietly been a massive disappointment since scoring the early goal against Serbia in the opening Euro 2024 fixture.
Bellingham received more hype than any England national team player before the European Championships began, becoming the clear face of Adidas’s advertisement campaigns after a sensational 19-goal debut season with Real Madrid.
However, Bellingham has not been living up to the hype lately, and England fans are concerned that he is burned out from a grueling season with Real Madrid in which his performances in the second half of the season did admittedly slow from his scorching pace in the first half.
Jude was particularly woeful against Slovenia in a 0-0 draw, failing to create a single chance while getting completely overrun in midfield in an uncharacteristic performance against one of Euro 2024’s weaker sides.
Per ESPN FC, the 20-year-old Real Madrid superstar did not register a single successful tackle or pass in the final third, and, most bafflingly, just 12 percent of his pass attempts were even aimed forward.
Furthermore, Bellingham had a team-worst 22 percent duel success rate and lost possession more than any other England player with 16.
That’s the kind of performance players get ridiculed for, especially No. 10’s who are expected to elevate their country and had an entire ad campaign based around them.
The display against Slovenia was awful, but the Real Madrid man has been ineffective throughout the tournament as a 10 with just one shot and one chance created in total.
A lot of the expectations and pressure on Bellingham seems unfair, but as a superstar player, it is Jude’s job to rise to the occasion amidst the weight of expectations.
Bellingham is the latest example of a Real Madrid star disappointing on the international stage, and for a club with players like Cristiano Ronaldo, Toni Kroos, Gareth Bale, and Sergio Ramos in their histories who always deliver on these stages for their countries, the likes of Bellingham and Vinicius Jr. need to step up.
Clearly capable of so much more, Jude’s spot in the starting XI may not be safe from an England perspective despite his talent and reputation, because there are others like Cole Palmer and Phil Foden coming off excellent 2023/24 campaigns who are clamoring for that 10 spot.
Real Madrid an their fans know what Bellingham is capable of, and it is time for the former Dortmund star to step up and show the rest of the world that, lest he become known as the flop of the tournament.
