Jude Bellingham wouldn't get up. But surely, he had to. Jude Bellingham always gets up. Still, he didn't. Bellingham lay slumped on the Bernabeu turf. The speculation started immediately. ACL? Broken ankle? Concussion? Muscle tear of some description? What could possibly keep the man down?
The answer was none of the above. Bellingham had, in fact, dislocated his left shoulder. A bit of strapping around the injury, and he was able to play on. He laboured through the rest of the fixture, visibly uneasy and seldom involved — by his standards, at least — as Los Blancos settled for a 0-0 draw with mid-table Rayo Vallecano.
That was six weeks ago, and Bellingham has played consistently since. But it emerged a fortnight ago that La Liga's top scorer might need surgery, an operation that could see his season grind to a halt, hinder Real Madrid's title chances, and potentially rule him out for Euro 2024. England's fate rests on Bellingham's shoulders, and one of them might not quite work properly.
