Jude Bellingham is finding his best version at Real Madrid as Jose Mourinho has given him more space to develop his attacking ability.
The 2025-2026 season is a forgettable time for Bellingham. Shoulder injury forced the English midfielder to undergo surgery and missed the pre-season preparation period with Xabi Alonso. When he returned at the end of September, he was arranged by the Spanish coach in the defensive midfielder position, thereby significantly limiting his influence in dangerous areas.
Alonso was sacked by Real Madrid in January when the team's performance declined. Alvaro Arbeloa took over but could not help Los Blancos save the season. Bellingham closed the campaign with 8 goals and 5 assists after 40 appearances, the lowest record since he moved to Spain.
That form even made many people question Bellingham's ability to keep a starting spot in the England national team at the 2026 World Cup. However, outside debates did not distract the 23-year-old midfielder. He quickly regained his form and became one of the most outstanding players of the England national team at the tournament.
After the World Cup, Bellingham returned to Real Madrid in a more energetic state. Mourinho only had about a week to work with the English midfielder before the opening match of La Liga, but still included his name in the starting lineup against Espanyol.
In just 9 minutes, Bellingham made his mark. From Arda Guler's free kick, he escaped the opponent's marking and then jumped high to head the ball to put Real Madrid ahead. Although Real then encountered many difficulties and only won 2-1 thanks to Carlos Espi's late goal, Bellingham was still one of the most outstanding players.
He won 5 aerial ball contests, achieved a pass accuracy rate of 95% and almost scored the second goal when Guler's header from a corner kick hit the crossbar.
4 days later, Bellingham continued to impress in the 4-1 victory over Real Sociedad. Kylian Mbappe scored a hat-trick and received most attention, but Bellingham also contributed to 2 goals. He coordinated in one touch for Mbappe to score the second goal, before contesting the ball in the penalty area and then passing to Vinicius Junior to easily score.
Bellingham's off-ball ability also helps Real Madrid better control situations changing state. He won 9 out of 14 aerial duels, had 4 ball recoveries and moved nearly 9 km before leaving the field in the 77th minute.
In the match against Malaga, Bellingham continued to be a prominent factor. In the 19th minute, he received the ball about 30m from the goal, led the ball into the penalty area, passed many defenders and then finished dangerously. After that, he put pressure in a situation where Mbappe finished, leading to an own goal by goalkeeper Alfonso Herrero.
I have more freedom to move, depending on what we need. I am very happy and that is why I played well" - Bellingham shared after the match.
This is also the big difference in Mourinho's way of using Bellingham. The Portuguese coach does not want the English midfielder to retreat too deep to take on defensive duties like last season.
Last season, Bellingham sometimes defended like a second left-back. I told him that I didn't want to see it anymore. I reached an agreement with him" - Mourinho said.
Mourinho also believes that Bellingham can compete for the Ballon d'Or in the future. The 2026-2027 season has just begun, but the English midfielder has directly participated in goals 4 times.
