With Thiago Pitarch breaking out as the new star at the base of the Real Madrid midfield alongsie Aurelien Tchouameni and both Tchou and Fede Valverde reaching new heights of importance under manager Alvaro Arbeloa, many Madridistas are wondering where that leaves the uber talented Englishman Jude Bellingham.
Like fellow superstar Kylian Mbappe, Bellingham is returning from a significant injury to the starting lineup. But unlike Mbappe, who is a Ballon d'Or candidate this season, Bellingham's place as a sure fire starter is suddenly less established because of how well the quartet of Arda Guler, Pitarch, Tchouameni, and Valverde have been playing.
Of course, Bellingham is far too good to discard, and anyone with a memory beyond that of a goldfish remembers him arguably being the best player in the world for both Real Madrid and England during 2023/24 when he first arrive at the Santiago Bernabeu from Germany's second biggest club.
Alvaro Arbeloa is supporting Jude Bellingham
Alvaro Arbeloa isn't about to discard Bellingham or think less of the midfielder. In the press conference preceding Real Madrid's return to La Liga against Mallorca and with Bayern Munich on the horizon, the Spanish manager affirmed his decision to back Jude Bellingham.
He said, via the Madrid Zone, "One of our goals is for Bellingham to regain his best form. He was out of for a long time, but he will get there little by little."
That is a simple but unequivocal statement from a manager who has backed each of his players 100 percent, whether they are superstars or role players. Arbeloa came in when even Vinicius Junior and Fede Valverde were under fire from the media and even the club's own supporters for their attitudes, and these guys are back to their best.
Bellingham is the next on his list as a project to return to superstardom. In truth, Bellingham, despite inane criticism from even the supporter base, has been excellent and working as hard as ever in the midfield. Benching a player of his caliber or failing to integrate his skill set to the fullest would be managerial malpractice, and unlike Xabi Alonso, Arbeloa is here to publicly back his players and use the tactics to support them, rather than getting into a war of egoes between talent and tactics.
It will be curious to see the role Bellingham plays against Mallorca coming out of this March international break as the final tune up before all the chips are on the table when Bells and Harry Kane battle it out in the Champions League quarterfinals.