Real Madrid will be without the services of Jude Bellingham for the next 3 weeks after their top scorer suffered a high ankle sprain in his team’s 4-0 win over Girona Saturday.
Bellingham, who tallied two goals in the victory, was forced out of action just before the hour mark after experiencing discomfort in his left ankle area. Further testing would reveal a high ankle sprain which will keep the English international out of action until at least March.
With 20 goals across all competitions, 16 in LaLiga alone, Bellingham is a key offensive piece in Carlo Ancelotti’s attack. Without the 20 year old, Real Madrid will expect Vinicius Jr. and Rodrygo to shoulder the offensive burden during Bellingham’s absence.
“They are in awe of Jude in Madrid” said Spanish football journalist Guillem Balague. “He is, perhaps with Griezmann, the best player in La Liga at the moment. [His goal total] is partly down to the fact that he’s asked to be more involved in both offensive and defensive work, and a little bit deeper. But in the top seven in goals scored, actions finished, and in defensive stats [such as] recovering the ball. He’s been outstanding.”
Through 24 matches, Real Madrid sit atop the LaLiga table with a 19-4-1 record, 5 points clear of second place Girona, and 11 points clear of Barcelona.
However, the injury comes at an inopportune time for the Spanish giants, as a round of 16 clash with RB Leipzig in the Champions League, followed by a date with Rayo Vallecano are both on the docket in the next week. Bellingham is also expected to miss matchups with Sevilla, and Valencia, but could be back in action for a 2nd leg showdown with RB Leipzig in early March if his rehab progresses smoothly.
The English midfielder has missed only 5 games across all competitions this season following his £88.5M transfer from Borussia Dortmund last summer.
Photo: Jan S0l0. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.