'I've never felt so much pain' - Jude Bellingham made mistake delaying shoulder surgery as Real Madrid star admits fears affected his performances

Published Mar. 27, 2026 1:35 p.m. ET

GOAL

Shoulder dislocation against Rayo

Bellingham missed the first few months of the current season after undergoing an operation during the summer. Persistent injuries had caused issues for the England international during his time at Dortmund and in his debut season in Spain, and he has admitted that his fears of another dislocation affected his game.

Speaking on his

Regrets over surgery delay

The England midfielder confessed that he had been advised to undergo surgery as early as his final season at Dortmund but chose to postpone the procedure to avoid missing major tournaments.

He added: “In my last season at Dortmund, at the beginning, they already told me I had to have surgery on my shoulder after a bad fall. I knew something wasn't right, but it was August-September and the World Cup was in December, so I didn't have the surgery. Then I started to feel good. When I arrived at Madrid, I had no pain.

“Everyone told me I had to have surgery, but it was my first year at Real Madrid and I didn't want to leave the team stranded and be out for three months. After losing the Euro final against Spain, I didn't want that to be my last taste of action for three months, but that would have been the best time to have surgery. I decided to continue for another year and I shouldn't have done it.”

Playing with fear

Bellingham admitted that the psychological burden of a potential re-injury prevented him from reaching his usual world-class level, leading to a stark statistical decline compared to his debut season. He continued: “The shoulder injury had a lot of effect on the rest of my body. I didn't have much pain, but playing knowing that if I fall it could come out again meant I couldn't be at my best level. Last year made me understand that I couldn't take winning again for granted. Now I'm better physically and I can return to being at my level.”