Huge Blow For Real Madrid As Jude Bellingham Reportedly To Miss Several Games
It was a tough afternoon for Real Madrid, needing a late penalty to secure three vital points against Rayo Vallecano in the Bernabeu. The team was well below their best, but got over the line to keep themselves one point behind Barcelona.
That was the good news for Alvaro Arbeloa; the bad news was an early injury in the first 10 minutes to one of the team's star players.
Jude Bellingham was replaced by Brahim Diaz after the English international picked up the injury. The 22-year-old looked to have injured his hamstring, holding his left leg as he ran for the ball. The question is, how long will one of the team's star players be out for?
Jude Bellingham could miss a month
According to journalist José Luis Sánchez, Jude Bellingham is set to miss a month of action with a hamstring injury. It comes at a bad time for Real Madrid, losing one of their best players ahead of some important games in February.
Bellingham will miss four La Liga games, possibly back for the away game against Celta Vigo on March 8. He could be back before then, depending on how quickly the recovery will be. He will likely miss two of the biggest games this month, both legs of the Champions League playoff against Benfica.
Bellingham was part of the 4-2 loss to the Portuguese side in the final league phase of the competition. That saw them crash into to the playoffs, and have two extra games in February.
Bellingham medical report.
— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) February 1, 2026
A few hours after the game, the midfielder went through tests, with the Real Madrid website revealing an update.
"Following tests carried out today on our player Jude Bellingham by the Real Madrid Medical Services, he has been diagnosed with an injury to the semitendinosus muscle in his left leg. Awaiting evolution."Real Madrid Club Statement
The big question is who will step in for these games. Dani Ceballos played well when he came on later in the game, but Arbeloa likely needs a more forward-thinking midfielder, as well as somebody who can get their foot in.
Eduardo Camavinga started at left-back against Vallecano, but he seems the most likely to step into the role. Brahim Diaz is also an option and played well when he replaced Bellingham, but Camavinga is the frontrunner.
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-031bbeb5612ca252e2129722373fa56d.png "Jordan Merritt")
Jordan Merritt is a staff writer for Real Madrid On SI. Before joining On SI, he wrote at Fansided, covering Ole Miss football, basketball, and baseball. He has also written for YardBarker, Heavy Sports, and the official EFL site. Merritt is a big sports fan, spending most of his weekends watching Soccer, the NFL, the NBA, college football/basketball, and others. Before starting his career as a freelance writer, Merritt was an Engineer for over 10 years. He lives in West Yorkshire, England, and is keenly interested in sports trading cards.
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