JUDE Bellingham edged Real Madrid ahead in their Champions League play-off against Manchester City, but then his week swiftly took a turn for the worse.
The England international was sent off in the first half as Los Blancos dropped two points in the Spanish title race on Saturday at Osasuna.
The midfielder will at least be fresh for the second leg clash with City at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday, with Madrid holding a 3-2 lead in the tie after their victory at the Etihad Stadium last week.
Bellingham felt he had let his side down with his dismissal for dissent, despite insisting the referee misunderstood him, and he apologised to his team-mates.
All will be forgiven if he helps pull Madrid past Pep Guardiola’s City and into the last 16.
“Enough said about the misunderstanding, just wanted to apologise again for leaving my team-mates in such a tough position and thank the fans for their support and understanding,“ wrote Bellingham on social media.
“We’ll see each other on Wednesday, (playing) at home.”
It was his second red card for arguing with referees since arriving in Spain from Borussia Dortmund in 2023.
Despite his occasional frustration with officials, Bellingham has mostly been able to enjoy himself in Spain.
His goals were crucial as Madrid won La Liga last season, and he helped his side claim their record-extending 15th Champions League trophy at Wembley, against his former side Dortmund.
Bellingham was previously linked with City but on arrival at Madrid said once the Spanish giants came in for him he got “goosebumps” and that his heart nearly stopped.
“I’d always been aware of the interest from England so that was pretty normal,“ he said after joining.
“Money is not a thing for me. I don’t think about money at all when I make these kind of decisions. I never have and will — I play the game purely out of love…
“It wasn’t a case of other teams are bad or they weren’t good but, for me, Madrid is the greatest.”
Big game Bellingham
In his fairytale first season Bellingham scored 23 goals in 43 games across all competitions, as well as converting a penalty in the Champions League quarter-final shootout Madrid won against City.
Bellingham has often shone in Madrid’s key matches.
The 21-year-old scored vital goals in both league Clasicos last season, and in both games against Girona, who for most of the season were Madrid’s main title contenders.
In the Champions League he set up Vinicius for a goal in the final against Dortmund, as well as scoring four times in the group stage.
This season, operating in a slightly more withdrawn role following the arrival of French superstar Kylian Mbappe, he initially found it harder to find his spark in attack.
Bellingham failed to find the net in his first 12 games, having netted double figures by the same time last season.
However coach Carlo Ancelotti backed the midfielder to come good and praised his hard work in a defensive capacity.
Eventually Bellingham’s nose for goal returned and he has scored 10 times in his last 20 games, as well as providing six assists.
The most recent of those strikes came in the 92nd minute against City to snatch Madrid the advantage.
The days since have been tumultuous but by the time the Champions League anthem is ringing out at the Bernabeu, Bellingham’s mind will be focused on getting the job done.
