Jude Bellingham has this aura about him; a swagger that makes it so difficult to take your eyes off him on the field. His passion is reflected each week in the Bundesliga through his goal celebrations, interactions with his teammates, and his electrifying style of play. There is so much to admire to about a footballer like Bellingham. There is a reason fans of Premier League clubs were fantasizing about him being a part of their teams when he had only just left Birmingham City for Germany in 2020. Real Madrid might just find themselves with a player rich in European experience at the age of 19 and he could be a staple in their midfield for years to come. How might Real Madrid use Jude Bellingham, and how would he fit in with the group of midfielders already at the club?
Demonstrated in this statistical profile of Jude Bellingham from FBREF, it’s clear that he possesses a wide range of attributes and is in the top percentile of midfielders in Europe’s top five leagues for many facets of his game. Bellingham is an elite progressor of the ball through both passing and ball carrying, and he is also very active defensively and is not afraid to win aerial duels. Bellingham’s non-penalty goals per 90, shots, and shot-creating actions per 90 are impressive for a player in his box-to-box midfield role.
One of the biggest criticisms surrounding players leaving elite Bundesliga clubs is their perceived ability to stat pad due to the openness of matches in a league that tends to feature transitional football. Many Bundesliga clubs employ systems that combine direct attacking moves and high defensive pressing. However, chance creation and scoring volumes are similar for both Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund this season. Dortmund average 579 passes and 1.82 npxg (non-penalty expected goals) per 90 min. Npxg is a statistical measurement of the goals a team should score given the chances they create discluding penalties. Real Madrid have averaged 624 passes and 1.85 npxG per 90. These two metrics can provide a basis of understanding for the similar action volume of two teams in two different leagues that are perceived as being incredibly different from one another. Moving to a team that moves the ball at a similar rate and creates a similar number of chances should facilitate Bellingham’s transition to a new league and should help him adapt quicker to his world-class teammates next season.
As seen in the table below, the current Real Madrid midfield is littered with elite ball progressors who excel in either carrying or passing. Bellingham’s progressive passing has taken a huge leap this season, going from 4.65 progressive passes per 90 in the 21-22 Season, to 8.37 in the 22-23 season. This development of progressive passing has been the most important step that the 19-year-old has made in his game for his future development. Whether it’s his ability to break pressing lines with passes or carries, or to break down deep blocks, Bellingham’s development as a passer could be key for how Real Madrid will continue to put intense pressure on teams in all major competitions next season.
| Prog Pass | Prog Carries | Tackles+ Interceptions | Short Passing (Comp/Att/%) | Med Passing (Comp/Att/%) | Long Passing (Comp/Att/%) | |
| Valverde | 5.54 | 2.67 | 1.86 | (30.6/32.8/93.5) | (15.3/17.6/87.2) | (3.68/5.04/73.1) |
| Kroos | 13.1 | 1.98 | 2.77 | (39/40.2/97) | (37.5/39.9/94.2) | (12.8/17/75) |
| Tchouameni | 6.12 | 1.79 | 4.88 | (33.7/35.4/95.2) | (27.1/28.9/93.8) | (3.93/4.58/85.9) |
| Camavinga | 7.46 | 3.02 | 3.76 | (30.7/32.8/93.7) | (23/24.3/94.8) | (4.07/4.87/83.7) |
| Modric | 8.81 | 2.44 | 1.55 | (37.5/39.8/94.2) | (20.4/23.2/88.2) | (5.95/8.75/68) |
| Ceballos | 12.2 | 3.33 | 4.04 | (41.9/44.3/94.7) | (26.9/28.4/94.8) | (6.95/8.44/82.4) |
| Bellingham | 8.37 | 3.15 | 3.74 | (20.3/23.1/86.8) | (17/19.8/86.2) | (5.5/7.68/71.6) |
This table also demonstrates the unique abilities each midfielder contributes to the current Real Madrid team. Federico Valverde’s lack of medium and long passing volumes highlight how he isn’t an elite passer; however, he has split time on the wing and his work rate in midfield has still been trusted in big games by Carlo Ancelotti. Even with his slightly lower volume of progressive passing, Ancelotti has often partnered Valverde with Kroos and Modric who have been progression machines this season, as they have their entire career. The volume, accuracy and progression of Kroos has been ever so useful to this evolving Real Madrid midfield. Modric, at 37, is showing a small drop off in his passing numbers, however, he still provides a class touch with his progressive abilities at this age. This trio of Valverde, Kroos, and Modric have played together in all of Madrid’s biggest games this past month, whether it be in the Champions League against City and Chelsea or the 4-0 win against Barcelona in the Copa Del Rey. Ancelotti has demonstrated immense trust in this trio time and time again. Despite their dominant performances in big games, this midfield trio is a bit lightweight defensively.
Real Madrid could combat this lack of defensive ability in multiple ways. Aurélien Tchouameni can be given a role as a true 6, similar to how Casemiro was deployed throughout his tenure in Madrid. The Frenchman has averaged an absurd 4.88 tackles and interceptions per 90 in his first season at the Bernabeu. To put this into context, N’Golo Kante has averaged 4.82 tackles and interceptions per 90 over his last 6 seasons at Chelsea. If Tchouameni is the elite ball-winner that he seems to be at this moment, while being a decent progressive passer and ball carrier from midfield, he HAS to be starting as much as possible for Real Madrid next season. His defensive output gives him the ability to protect players who physically may be past their peak defensively (Kroos and Modric) or midfielders who have an eye for going forward (Valverde). If Bellingham moves for the fee that has been reported, over £100 million, he would be a must start player for this midfield as well. That would leave one open spot in Real Madrid’s midfield that could feature Modric, Kroos, Camavinga, Valverde, or Ceballos if he stays at the club.
Real Madrid have consistently played a 4-3-3 over the course of this season. One of the most admirable facets of Ancelotti’s side are their ability to shut games down and stay compact defensively (see Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester City Champions League Matches) while also having the ability to lure teams in with possession and counterattack seemingly out of nothing with electric attacking players in Vinicius Jr. and Rodrygo. Most of the biggest clubs in the world had expressed some form of interest in Bellingham over the last year, whether it has been Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea, or PSG. Real Madrid have something that every club listed there do not, stylistically. Madrid’s midfield and their fullbacks’ defensive structure will give Bellingham the license to attack and contribute to moves. Liverpool and PSG both build up through wide areas with either extremely attacking fullbacks or wingers and rely on midfielders to play a more functional defensive and pressing role. Therefore, those moves would have been a difficult adjustment. Chelsea ask a lot of their midfielders defensively as well, often playing a 2 man-midfield this season, and even though Bellingham is solid defensively, it is not ideal for him to specialize in a 2-man pivot at this stage of his career. Manchester City are another story, I am sure that he could have played a big part in their “free 8” system, but his athleticism suits Real Madrid’s multiple identities perfectly. Jude will fit in like a glove for a team that can set up shop in big games and shut it down, while also being an excellent progressor to and break teams down.
One counter argument to consider about Bellingham is his lack of passing volume compared to other current Real Madrid midfielders. If he can increase this volume at a steady rate in his first few seasons, then this will create the perfect opportunity for Real to run things in Europe as they have for the last 10-15 years. What would be ideal for Real Madrid fans, is for Bellingham to develop into the world-class progressive passer that Kroos has been his whole career, while maintaining his ball-carrying volume. If Bellingham can maintain his defensive output as well, then Real Madrid could have a more dominant midfield than one could imagine with Tchouameni and him featuring together in any capacity. Real Madrid’s European dominance has been built around their midfield, specifically, Kroos, Modric, and Casemiro. That trio’s balance of passing, carrying, and tackling has served as a precursor for what Tchouameni and Bellingham can become for this Real Madrid team to consistently battle for European trophies year after year for the next decade.