Jude Bellingham, the midfielder for Real Madrid, announced on Sunday that he will be having surgery to address a longstanding shoulder issue following the conclusion of the Club World Cup.
The England international has been dealing with ongoing discomfort after dislocating his shoulder during a La Liga fixture in November 2023, having played with a brace underneath his jersey ever since.
With Madrid eager to clinch the Club World Cup title, they’ve arranged for the operation to take place after the final, which means Bellingham could miss the beginning of the LaLiga season as he recuperates.
“I’ve reached the point where… I’m really over the brace, and having to adjust it while playing, with (other) players tugging on it and it shifting around all the time,” Bellingham stated to DAZN after Real Madrid’s 3-1 win over Pachuca in Charlotte.
“I’ve scheduled the surgery for after the tournament, a few days post-final, so I can get it sorted and fixed.
“I’m genuinely pleased about this; it’s been a long time coming. I think I’ve run out of patience with the brace.
“The physio and the doctor here have been absolutely fantastic in helping me manage to play game after game, but I’m at a stage now where I’m ready for a shoulder that’s free and a body free from the brace.”
Reports suggest that recovery from the surgery could take up to 12 weeks, indicating that he may miss not just the initial La Liga matches but also England’s World Cup qualifiers against Andorra and Serbia in September.
Bellingham scored in the victory against the Mexican side, just a day after his younger brother, Jobe Bellingham, found the net for Borussia Dortmund.
The Madrid midfielder mentioned that he had been motivated to perform well ahead of the Pachuca clash, which marked new coach Xabi Alonso’s first win in charge of Los Blancos.
“Everyone’s been giving me stick yesterday, saying he’s better than me. I had to respond today,” he remarked.
“We’re level now at one-all, and we’ll see how the rest of the tournament unfolds.”
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Compiled by SportArena.com.au.
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