Mourinho Builds Real Madrid Around Bellingham After 4 Goal Contributions in 3 League Games
Updated
Updated · The Hindu · Sep 12
Mourinho Builds Real Madrid Around Bellingham After 4 Goal Contributions in 3 League Games
3 articles · Updated · The Hindu · Sep 12
Summary
Jude Bellingham has become the centerpiece of Jose Mourinho’s second Real Madrid spell, starting centrally and driving the team’s early title push with 2 goals and 2 assists in four league matches.
Mourinho has given the 23-year-old more freedom between midfield and attack, a role Bellingham says is letting him move up or down the pitch as needed and helping revive his best 2023-24 form.
The early returns are strong: Bellingham scored Madrid’s first goal of Mourinho’s comeback, then added a goal and an assist in a 4-0 win over Malaga, while also ranking among the side’s leaders in recoveries and chance creation.
That all-round influence matters because Mourinho is shaping Madrid less around Kylian Mbappe or Vinicius Junior than around Bellingham’s control, pressing and box-to-box play.
Madrid’s trophy chase still faces a stiff test, with Barcelona already scoring 17 goals and conceding 2, making Bellingham’s sustained form central to domestic and European ambitions.