Can Bellingham make El Clasico statement with English sub-plot?

Jude Bellingham has already won over Real Madrid supporters.

The 22-year-old midfielder has struggled to get started in the English World Cup due to injury and growing questions about his place in the squad.

However, the former Birmingham City man will be determined to prove to everyone that he is still England’s top La Liga player as he gets ready for Sunday’s El Clasico match against Barcelona. This includes former Three Lions boss Thomas Tuchel.

With Barcelona’s in-form forward Marcus Rashford facing Bellingham, it will be the first El Clasico to pit two Englishmen against one another.

Due to injury, Real full-back Trent Alexander-Arnold is unlikely to play in a third team as Madrid look to extend their two-point lead over their stout rivals.

An El Clasico serves as Bellingham’s ideal setting for a statement.

More than 80, 000 supporters will be gathered inside the Bernabeu, with the majority of them passionate Madrid supporters, making up the defining match of Spanish football.

Bellingham has won almost everything at club level since joining Borussia Dortmund in 2023, including La Liga and the Champions League.

And his outstanding performances don’t just include club football; he also demonstrated that his country has risen above expectations with his overhead kick in stoppage time against Slovakia last year at the Euros.

He was a member of the camp’s leadership group, won 44 international caps, and was voted England men’s player of the year by supporters in 2024 to 2025. He also has experience from three major tournaments.

However, Tuchel’s squad did not include Bellingham because they had earlier lost to Wales and Latvia earlier in October.

The England manager defended their relationship, insisting that it was just about keeping the core of the squad together, which had excelled in the matches against Andorra and Serbia in September.

Tuchel stated that he would speak with Bellingham before the upcoming November camp, and it seems unavoidable that the biggest question will be whether or not he will be called back.

After having shoulder surgery in July for a long-standing injury he sustained in 2023, Bellingham’s start to the season was unavoidably challenging.

He missed five games for Los Blancos out of 63 days of training and playing.

He made his first appearance for Madrid in late September, and the Madrid supporters roared when they heard his return.

Bellingham “has nothing to prove on Sunday,” remarked Real supporter Carlos Campillo. He already accomplishes that with every game he competes in and every assist he receives. He is self-sufficient in all of his claims.

It’s not a decisive game for him, said fellow fan Juan Antonio Lillo. He needs to pick up the game’s pace and feel. He will eventually reach the level he needs to be at, and it’s just one more step.

He has appeared in six more games in all competitions since Bellingham’s return, gradually increasing his minutes and trying to rediscover his best form.

His influence was limited for the majority of that time, until this week, when his champions’ and perhaps also his, were reignited by his matchwinning goal in the Champions League against Juventus.

After scoring his first goal of the season, Bellingham expressed his excitement that it has been a long time since he scored, spent a lot of time out, and dreamed of playing for a big team.

It’s unbelievable to score a winner here at home. Really good, I felt at ease. The team greatly benefits from a winning goal, and playing well was important.

Bellingham had a stellar debut season at the Bernabeu, scoring 19 goals in La Liga, but his performance suffered as Madrid came to an end with a disappointing campaign.

He expressed regret for not believing last year to be a disaster. [It was] still 15 goals and 14 assists, but I am aware that the overall impression was worse. But I was a part of that, given how poorly we performed last year.

Bellingham, who is also trying to get a World Cup spot with England while he is on loan from Manchester United, will have his first taste of El Clasico, but he is an old man.

A victory at El Clasico feels like it, Campillo said.

Bellingham has scored three goals in his first four El Clasico appearances, two goals in his second and two in his third.

Since Ruud van Nistelrooy in 2007, he became the first Real player to score in their first two La Liga championship games, a feat that quickly made his name a part of the club’s history books.

He has participated in every game to date in its entirety.

Jude Bellingham’s international break came just in time. Xabi Alonso was pleased to have him around, not only to encourage his recovery from injury but also to discuss his role face-to-face.

Bellingham is perceived by the manager as a hybrid team that operates both forward and midfield, just behind Vinicius Jr. and Kylian Mbappe.

However, Alonso’s current goal is to retrieve Bellingham, which was released in the box with perfect timing and scoring freely.

The Englishman was everywhere last season, but ultimately he was less effective because his role expanded so much. Do less to be more, according to Alonso’s clear message.

The team failed to win 17 of their 30 games because Vinicius, Mbappe, and Bellingham were all starters, according to the statistics. Not enough harmony in the attack and not enough defending from the front were present.

Bellingham was substituted for Kairat Almaty and Villarreal following their colossal 5-2 defeat by Atletico Madrid in September. He was replaced against Getafe, but he returned to the starting lineup after the international break, and he is expected to start against Barcelona.