Bellingham returns leaner and sharper after shoulder surgery

Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham returned from shoulder surgery with a slimmer, more athletic frame in Saturday's 2-0 La Liga win over Espanyol, signaling a shift in how the club plans to deploy him as he resumes his season after a delayed start. The 22-year-old came on as a late substitute in the match, his first minutes of the campaign after a shoulder procedure in July that had kept him sidelined for the start of the season.

Madrid officials had initially bulked him up during the rehabilitation process to shield the joint from further stress. With the shoulder now deemed healthy, the club has moved him onto a program described internally as a way to “supercharge” his physique, focusing on lean power and higher tempo pressing. The aim is for Bellingham to contribute more aggressively across the pitch, with a body that can endure rigorous duels and quicker transitions under Real Madrid boss Xabi Alonso.

Bellingham’s physical development goes back to his days as a Birmingham City academy product. Teammate Kade Craig recalled that when Bellingham arrived in the under-15s, he was “injured and rehabbing,” and that he was initially “slight — very small and skinny.” Yet Craig said the midfielder’s frame began to grow rapidly through the under-15s and under-16s, aided by intensive gym work and a football-development approach at Blues that signaled high hopes for his future. “He grew from one of the smallest to one of the biggest in the group,” Craig said, noting that Birmingham’s staff believed in his long-term potential from an early stage.

Former teammates also described the physical jump as both evident and provocative. Wayne Rooney, who faced Bellingham as a young opponent in England’s youth ranks and later as a pro, said the teenager appeared small but possessed technical superiority well beyond his years. “He was quite small, but you could see he was technically miles ahead of a lot of the lads,” Rooney told The Athletic, adding that Bellingham’s mentality already hinted at leadership qualities that would define his rise. Rooney recalled a moment when Bellingham’s competitive drive and instinct to perform stood out as a young player, foreshadowing the longer arc of his career.

Ryan Stirk, another Birmingham teammate who progressed with him through the academy, recalled: “In the under-23s, I felt like he played one game, came on and scored, and that was it. He went straight into the first team.” Stirk’s account underscored how quickly Bellingham’s development accelerated as he transitioned from youth football to regular senior exposure, a trajectory that would ultimately take him to Borussia Dortmund and, in 2023, Real Madrid.

Bellingham’s ascent truly accelerated after his move to Borussia Dortmund in 2020, where he arrived as a slender teenager but quickly grew into a physically imposing midfielder capable of carrying a heavy load in the centre of the park. Dortmund legend Marco Reus and club executives repeatedly highlighted the youngster’s leadership and resilience as he captained the side at 19, stepping into responsibilities well beyond his years. Reus said Bellingham arrived in Germany with a combination of talent, hunger, and the willingness to put in the work on the training ground, a combination that translated into on-field impact for a team that trusted him with big moments.

The move to Real Madrid in 2023 for about 113 million pounds marked the next chapter in a rapid ascent. Bellingham carried a shoulder injury into his first season with Madrid, a complication that prompted the club to implement a long-term plan aimed at safeguarding the joint while enabling him to sustain his extraordinary workload. Madrid’s coaching and medical staff devised a structured conditioning program designed to protect the shoulder while allowing him to operate at high intensity, a balance that contributed to a year in which he helped Madrid win the Champions League and continued to star for England on the way to the Euro 2024 final in Germany.

In the weeks after the surgery, Madrid opted for a conservative but ambitious approach: bulk up to mitigate risk during the initial recovery, then transition to a leaner frame once the joint was deemed stable. The strategy aligned with a broader tactical aim under Alonso to maximize Bellingham’s ability to press aggressively, recover quickly, and shuttle between defensive and attacking duties with less risk of re-injury. The approach also aligned with Bellingham’s own statements of readiness and desire to contribute across multiple fronts for Madrid as the season progressed.

Bellingham’s return from surgery culminated in a tangible moment of proof on Sept. 23, when he helped Madrid secure a win while gradually reintroducing himself to the team’s rhythm. After the match, he took to social media to express gratitude for the support he received and to acknowledge the work of the medical and support staff who aided his comeback. He wrote, in part, that he was “truly humbled by the love you gave me in the stadium today,” and thanked the Fortius Clinic team and others who assisted during his recovery, signaling a renewed sense of purpose as he moves back toward peak form.

Real Madrid and Bellingham have not disclosed every detail of the ongoing conditioning work, but the public-facing message is clear: the club intends for him to combine the speed, tenacity, and goal-threat that defined his rise with a leaner, more mobile frame capable of the high-pressing, high-intensity style that Alonso has emphasized. As Bellingham continues to integrate back into match fitness, observers will watch how his body responds to the revised program and how his location on the field—whether higher up the pitch, closer to the opposition’s goal, or in a more dynamic midfield role—will evolve in concert with Madrid’s tactical plans.