Bellingham injured, facing a high risk of missing the World Cup

Jude Bellingham was forced to leave the field limping early in the game between Real Madrid and Rayo Vallecano on February 1st, visibly upset, due to what is suspected to be a hamstring injury.

The English midfielder was chasing the ball on the wing when he suddenly clutched his hamstring and immediately fell to the ground in obvious pain. Although he managed to walk off by himself, Bellingham appeared very emotional as he left the pitch, causing many fans to worry that he might have suffered a serious injury.

Bellingham will be quickly taken for a medical examination, and his recovery time will be determined once the results are available. However, it is clear that he will need to be sidelined for several weeks.

Upcoming La Liga matches against Valencia and Real Sociedad seem too soon for Bellingham to return. He also faces the risk of missing Real Madrid’s Champions League knockout playoff against Benfica, with the first leg scheduled for February 17th.

Even the home leg a week later might be too soon for Bellingham, who depending on the severity of his injury, may need to reconsider his participation in the final national team call-up before the World Cup at the end of March.

Bellingham has had a challenging start under England coach Thomas Tuchel. A shoulder injury sidelined him in September, and fitness issues caused him to miss the October call-up.

Although he returned to the England squad in November, Bellingham did not start in England’s most crucial match during that international break, which led to questions about his role under Tuchel, who once described Bellingham’s attitude as “annoying” before admitting he had used the wrong word in his second language.

If Bellingham is not fit enough for the March international break, he may face stiff competition to convince Tuchel to take him to the World Cup, the tournament set to take place in the US, Canada, and Mexico next summer.