Jude Bellingham has successfully undergone surgery to fix a long-standing issue in his left shoulder—an injury he has carried since his days at Borussia Dortmund and one that worsened significantly in November 2023 during a fall in a match against Rayo Vallecano.
Since that incident, Bellingham has been playing with a shoulder brace designed to protect him from further dislocation. While the support allowed him to continue competing, it didn’t eliminate the discomfort. After months of pushing through
pain, the 22-year-old decided to go under the knife in order to return to full fitness and start the 2025/26 season in peak condition.
The operation took place in London and was performed by Drs. Manuel Leyes and Andrew Wallace, with Real Madrid’s medical team overseeing the procedure. The club released a statement confirming the successful outcome:
“Our player Jude Bellingham has successfully undergone surgery for a recurrent dislocation of his left shoulder. The operation was performed by Drs. Manuel Leyes and Andrew Wallace, under the supervision of the Real Madrid Medical Services. Bellingham now begins a period of rehabilitation prior to his return to recovery work.”
Real Madrid are not rushing his return. The recovery timeline currently points to a 12-week absence, with Bellingham expected to be back by mid-October. Importantly, his spell on the sidelines will overlap with two international breaks, minimizing the number of matches he’ll miss with Los Blancos.
Last season, Bellingham and the club chose to delay the surgery so he could continue contributing to the team and be available for Euro 2024. But now, with the Club World Cup behind him and the new season still weeks away, the decision has been made to prioritize his long-term health and performance.
In a conversation with Managing Madrid’s Kiyan Sobhani earlier this month, Bellingham opened up about the toll the shoulder brace had taken on him, both physically and mentally:
“Thank you for checking in on it, it’s alright now. I think I’ve got to the point now where the pain isn’t so bad—it’s more that I’m fed up with the brace. Tugging on it, and other players tugging on it, and obviously in the heat with the sweat... I’m losing so much weight in sweat. So I’ve got surgery scheduled for a few days after the final of the tournament. I’m really happy about that, as I’ve come to the end of my patience with the brace. The physios have been unbelievable to make me be fine and ready to play, but I’m ready to have a free shoulder and a free body to be able to play.”
A reminder that this is what it was like for Bellingham to be playing with a shoulder strap:pic.twitter.com/BOXHMDHi0F
— Kiyan Sobhani (@KiyanSo) July 17, 2025
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