Jude Bellingham has undergone successful surgery on his shoulder and has already begun his recovery process to return to Real Madrid. The English player has taken advantage of the holiday period to resolve a problem that has been dragging on for over a year, so as to miss as few official matches as possible with the team. Although his return date has been set for October, it may not be until the end of the year that the Englishman is back to his best for Xabi Alonso.
More than a year out with injury
Bellingham underwent surgery on Wednesday to treat the dislocated left shoulder he has been suffering from for 20 months. The midfielder’s shoulder problems date back to late 2023 in a match against Rayo. The English player fell badly and was seriously injured. He was out for several weeks but avoided surgery as the European Championship in the summer was his priority and he did not want to be out of action for months.
After the international competition, the start of the season with Real Madrid came with two titles up for grabs and he wanted to be there for the team, which won both trophies. He has played the entire season in pain and could no longer postpone the decision, especially considering that next summer there is a World Cup that he wants to reach at the highest level.
This is how the operation went
The clinic where the player underwent surgery has published a video explaining Jude Bellingham’s injury and operation. Dr. Patricia Núñez de Aysa, from the Rippol y Prado clinic in Madrid, said that “the player will undergo surgery for instability in his left shoulder due to repeated dislocation of the shoulder joint, which causes the humerus bone to leave the space where it should be, damaging soft tissue and even the humerus bone itself.”
“He will undergo arthroscopic surgery, which is not open surgery as it does not expose the entire joint, but is performed by suturing the labrum that provides stability to the joint, leaving the stitches in place so that the rehabilitation process can begin,” she added.
Doctors delay his recovery
The player will be out of action for 10 to 12 weeks. The fact that he took advantage of the holiday period to have the operation and thus bring forward his return will be beneficial for the team. In principle, the player would return to the team at the end of October at the latest, but doctors are delaying the moment when the player will be 100% fit to compete. Even if he returns in October, the Englishman may not be at his best until November or December.
“This rehabilitation process can take between two and four months before he can return to the pitch. Therefore, we hope to see Bellingham back on the football field around autumn and at his best by the end of the year,” said Dr. Patricia Núñez de Aysa, from the Rippol y Prado clinic in Madrid.