England and Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham will miss the start of the 2025/26 season after undergoing successful surgery on a persistent shoulder injury.
The 22-year-old is now set for a lengthy recovery, sidelining him for the entirety of Real Madrid’s pre-season as well as the opening six weeks of the competitive campaign. This timeline also rules him out of England’s September World Cup qualifiers against Andorra and Serbia.
Bellingham has been managing the injury since dislocating his shoulder in a 2023 La Liga match against Rayo Vallecano. Though he continued to play with strapping on the affected shoulder, the midfielder admitted in June he was “tired of playing with the sling.”
Real Madrid confirmed the procedure was completed successfully and that Bellingham will begin rehabilitation before rejoining team training. The surgery was scheduled to follow the Club World Cup in the United States, where Real were eliminated in the semi-finals by Paris Saint-Germain.
Newly appointed manager Xabi Alonso will begin his La Liga tenure without Bellingham, as Madrid host Osasuna on 19 August.
Bellingham joined Real Madrid from Borussia Dortmund in a £115 million move in 2023. He made an instant impact, helping the club win both La Liga and the UEFA Champions League in his debut season, scoring 23 goals in 43 appearances. Last season, he added 15 goals across 58 games as Real finished behind Barcelona in the league and exited the Champions League in the quarter-finals against Arsenal.
