“He has ‘crossed his arms’ and has not opened them again” - Spanish media slam Jude Bellingham with verdict amid Real Madrid goal drought
Marca have delivered a harsh verdict on Real Madrid superstar Jude Bellingham amidst his dry spell in front of goal this season. The Spanish outlet seemed to have aimed a dig at the England international over his celebration.
Los Blancos signed Bellingham from Borussia Dortmund last summer for a reported €103 million fee. The midfielder had a stellar debut campaign at the Bernabeu, recording 23 goals and 13 assists in 42 appearances across all competitions.
He played a crucial role in Real Madrid's LaLiga and Champions League triumph, putting him in contention for the 2024 Ballon d'Or. This season, however, the 21-year-old has struggled to rack up the numbers.
He is goalless in Real Madrid's first nine games of the season so far, contributing just two assists. Bellingham failed to open his account for Los Blancos in their 2-1 win over Celta Vigo in LaLiga last weekend (19 October), while Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior got on the scoresheet.
The former Dortmund midfielder's recognizable celebration involves spreading his arms out wide. Spanish outlet Marca have hit out at Bellingham over his goal drought (via The Mirror), claiming that he's had his arms closed since May 14, the day he scored his last goal for Real Madrid against Alaves.
"The image of the Madrid number 5 celebrating goals by opening his arms became a common sight. The Bernabeu turned it into a ritual. Now he has 'crossed his arms' and has not opened them again since May 14, the date of his last goal with Real Madrid. He is berating himself about the goals and cannot settle that score he has."
Madrid will next face Borussia Dortmund in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday (22 October).
"The work he's doing is more important" - Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti defends Jude Bellingham amid dry spell
Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti has hit out at Jude Bellingham's critics, defending his lack of goals this season. He believes that the Englishman's overall contribution on the pitch is more crucial to the team than his numbers.
While some may not have expected a decline in the midfielder's goal tally this season, Ancelotti insists that his 23-goal campaign last term was the real surprise. He said ahead of Madrid's Champions League clash against Borussia Dortmund (via ESPN):
"We're satisfied with his work, I'm very satisfied. He works a lot, he's always present, he competes, he fights, he sacrifices himself. It's true he hasn't scored the goals he scored last year, but the surprise isn't this year, the surprise was last year, when he scored lots of goals which nobody expected and helped us a lot. The problem this year isn't that we're lacking Bellingham's goals."
"We've always scored goals, and we'll always score, because we have talented players up front. For us, in this moment, the work he's doing is more important than the goals he scored last year."
Madrid are currently second in the table, three points behind league leaders Barcelona. Ancelotti's men have recorded seven wins and three draws in their first 10 fixtures this season.