The 2025/26 season has been a total failure for Real Madrid, and that was confirmed on Sunday night with a 2-0 loss to Barcelona that officially handed the La Liga title to the Blaugrana, leaving Real trophyless for a second straight season.
Most of the negative attention is rightfully surrounding Kylian Mbappe, whom many fans believe bailed on the team by being a last minute scratch due to injury after previously practicing the whole week after he was seemingly dragged back from a premature vacation.
But instead of playing better with Mbappe out, which was the case last weekend in a 2-0 win over Espanyol, Real Madrid were horrendous. Everyone stunk, and while his name was not the most criticized in the media, fans around Madrid are beginning to ask more and more questions about Jude Bellingham.
Jude Bellingham was shocking vs. Barcelona
Effort is never the issue for Bellingham, which is more than can be said for some of his teammates, but Jude might ironically have to thank the superstar he is rumored to despise, Mbappe, for shielding him from more criticism.
There are bigger problems and bigger disappointments in the Real Madrid squad than Jude, but that does not mean the England international should be absolved of criticism either. Everyone has to be held to a higher standard, Bellingham included.
Normally a great big game player, Jude Bellingham was a ghost against Barcelona. He drew a lot of fouls on the ball and tried to get in dangerous positions, but everything else was lacking. His positional play was as weak as Eduardo Camavinga's. His ball winning was surprisingly non existent as Barcelona had their way with the Blancos. And his passing was very, very sloppy and not at all creative.
By and large, Bellingham's had a poor season. His numbers have been worse than Kylian Mbappe's, and while his team play has been better, it's really been the bare minimum Real Madrid should be expecting from a 100 million euro midfielder.
Like many of his teammates, Bellingham has suffered badly, particularly on offense, since the addition of Mbappe, but even he can't play Mbappe when he played that poorly against Barcelona without the French albatross on the pitch. Mbappe's controversies have overshadowed the disappointing play on the pitch of several Real Madrid stars, and if it weren't for the striker's headline making moves this weekend, Bellingham's display in El Clasico would be under a higher magnitude microscope.
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