No matter if you are a player, a manager, or an executive, you always want to have a strong relationship with Real Madrid, because they are the most coveted position in the world and either hae the best players in the world currently, the best players in the world of the future (or past) they could sell to you, or the money to buy the future best players in the world from you.
It looks like England national team manager Thomas Tuchel isn't quite getting the memo about not rubbing Florentino Perez and the Real Madrid stars the wrong way. After taking vague shots at Trent Alexander-Arnold and then snubbing him from a ridiculously bloated 35 man England squad ahead of this summer's World Cup, Tuchel found another way to get under Real's skin.
According to a report from MARCA's Joel Del Rio, Real Madrid are confused about why Thomas Tuchel and England called up star center midfielder Jude Bellingham for national team duty this March international break as part of his 35 man squad. They are confused because Tuchel rested Bellingham and did not play him a single minute. While resting Bellingham is not the issue, Tuchel had Bellingham do all that traveling away from Madrid for no reason, and Real felt that he would have benefited from staying at the Valdebebas and training.
Jude Bellingham could have rested
A lot of national team managers like to mess around with top players from big clubs in an ego move, and maybe this was that sort of a stroke from Tuchel, who has had some public spats with Bellingham over ticky tack stuff in the past.
Jude Bellingham is now fit to play, but he did recently return from an injury. He is the star of a crowded midfield that was actually awesome without him, tearing Manchester City apart behind Thiago Pitarch's breakout and Fede Valverde's hat trick to signal the Uruguayan's return to tip top form.
But Real Madrid need their clutch hero - and he is England's clutch hero, too, do not forget that - for the thick of the Champions League. Less than a week from now, Los Blancos will fight Bayern Munich, their long time European rivals, in the first leg of the quarterfinals, and Jude will no doubt be an important factor.
Bellingham would have benefited from the reps and rest at home in the Spanish capital. Tuchel is playing mind games that make no sense, and the next time he wants a favor from Real for England or i the future if he goes back to club coaching, Florentino is not a man who forgets. And he can be petty.