So far, the 2025/26 season has been a typical injury-riddled season for Real Madrid. It seems as though ever since the 20/21 season, Real are always bitten by the injury bug, with a number of key players going down injured with long-term injuries every year, and this year is no different.
Eder Militao, Dani Carvajal, and Trent Alexander-Arnold have all been sidelined with long-term injuries, dramatically affecting the team's form and costing them key results in their bid to secure a successful season after a disappointing 24/25 campaign.
While Carvajal and Alexander-Arnold have returned to fitness, it seems that when one player comes back from injury, another goes down injured. This time the player to go down injured is Jude Bellingham. While the Englishman hasn't been at his best this season, he is still a difference maker on the pitch, and an important player for Los Blancos. The club has been hoping to have the midfielder back sooner rather than later, but unfortunately, their worst fear has come true regarding his injury.
Jude Bellingham setback hands Real Madrid a headache
As being reported by Guillermo Rai on X, Jude Bellingham's hamstring injury is worse than initially thought, with the midfielder now expected to be out for six to eight weeks, instead of the four weeks initially thought by the club.
The Englishman went down with a hamstring injury 10 minutes into Real's win against Rayo Vallecano on February 1st and was initially diagnosed with a one-month injury, but unfortunately, it's been discovered that his injury is worse than first thought and he'll be out for more than one month.
Bellingham had still been trying to find his best form after dealing with a long-term shoulder injury over the last two years, and unfortunately for the Englishman, he now expected to see more time on the sidelines. This update comes at the worst time for Real as we head into the crucial winter months of the season, and with pressure increasing on Alvaro Arbeloa to deliver results, he is now without one of his marquee players.
In the time Bellingham is expected to be sidelined Real have huge clashes with Benfica in the Champions League and a La Liga clash with Atletico Madrid at the Bernabeu shortly after, all of which are expected to be played without the midfielder. How exactly Arbeloa will replace Bellingham remains unknown as replacing him is an extremely tall task. He's got Eduardo Camavinga, Aurelien Tchouameni, Fede Valverde, Arda Guler, and Dani Ceballos all at his disposal, but even with all their talent replacing Bellingham will be extremely difficult for the interim manager on the hot seat.