Since he had only recently returned from injury and did not start over the weekend against Mallorca in La Liga, Real Madrid and manager Alvaro Arbeloa made the unsurprising and entirely justifiable decision to rest Jude Bellingham from the bench against Bayern Munich in the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals.
Real Madrid would go on to lose that game despite being at the Santiago Bernabeu, falling 2-1. But in the second half after Jude came into the match, Real seemed to be revived, playing at a higher octane and nearly coming back to draw the game against a vintage Manuel Neuer in the Bayern goal.
The turn around with Bellingham involved was no coincidence. He was effervescent, covering ground and snapping into the play with an athleticism and vigor that his Real Madrid teammates in midfield were honestly entirely incapable of matching.
Jude Bellingham is starting again
It is, therefore, no surprise that the best midfielder on this talented Real Madrid team is going to be starting in the second leg next week, as COPE reports, via Madrid Xtra, that it has been confirmed that Jude Bellingham will start at the Allianz Arena.
Real's best hope at coming back on the road and advancing to the Champions League semifinals by beating their greatest ever Champions League rivals is to have Bellingham, an old rival of Bayern's from his days at Borussia Dortmund, starting. Bellingham has the all around play in midfield as a ball winner, progressor, and leader that is missing. His intensity, ability to start attacks, and elite positioning off the ball in dangerous areas of the pitch are all traits Real Madrid badly need when he is out.
There has been a lot of unfair criticism of the Real Madrid superstars from even their own fan base this season, especially Vinicius Junior and Bellingham. These two have won the Champions League before for the Merengues, and Jude has been eminently clutch for his country, too. Real are going to need that clutch factor against Bayern next week, and they have often needed moments of magic to outlast the Bundesliga's biggest powerhouses on European nights.
Real Madrid have clearly heard the message that they need Bellingham out there in the starting lineup. Almost laughably, some Madridistas have questioned the merits of starting Jude when the likes of Arda Guler and Thiago Pitarch have emerged alongside Fede Valverde and Aurelien Tchouameni, but all you have to do is watch any big game to see what Jude brings.