Ballon d'Or Bellingham is officially back! England icon Jude picking up where he left off at World Cup with Real Madrid

Bellingham only had a week to train with Mourinho after returning from his post-World Cup holiday, but the Portuguese boss - who is back for his second spell in charge at the Bernabeu - threw him straight into the starting XI for Madrid's season opener against Espanyol, and he took just nine minutes to make an impact.

Arda Guler floated in a lovely free-kick from the left and Bellingham effortlessly held off his marker to head Real into the lead. It turned out to be a false dawn for Los Blancos, who struggled for rhythm thereafter and only secured a 2-1 victory thanks to Carlos Espi's close-range finish deep into second-half stoppage time, but Bellingham was the visitors' standout player during his 80 minutes on the pitch.

He won five ground duels and posted a 95 percent pass completion rate, while he came agonisingly close to scoring his second when nodding a Guler corner delivery onto the crossbar early in the second half. Mourinho could scarcely have asked for more considering Bellingham's lack of preparation time.

Los Blancos welcomed Real Sociedad to the Bernabeu four days later, and Kylian Mbappe took centre stage. The France captain fired a stunning hat-trick in a ruthless 4-1 win that saw Madrid properly flex their attacking muscles, with Vinicius Junior also getting his name on the scoresheet.

Mbappe's performance was a 10/10, but Bellingham came in close behind with a solid nine, only missing a goal or two to underline his influence. He set up Mbappe's second goal with a smooth give-and-go and provided another assist moments later, battling to win the ball back in La Real's box before sliding it across for Vinicius to tap into an empty net.

Bellingham's aggression out of possession was vital to stopping the visitors in the transitional phase, and he left the field to a standing ovation in the 77th minute after winning nine of his 14 ground duels, recording four recoveries and running almost nine kilometres. It was the same kind of lung-busting display Bellingham put in throughout the summer for England; the former Borussia Dortmund man's energy levels and athleticism are astonishing, and he's clearly enjoying his football again.

Ahead of Malaga's visit to the Bernabeu on Sunday, Mourinho was asked whether Bellingham is the glue that holds his Madrid team together, and he had no inclination to disagree: "He’s a unique player, super-important for the team."

Madrid started on the front foot, and in the 19th minute, the ball broke to Bellingham some 30 yards from goal. He proceeded to drive towards the box, flooring one Malaga defender before gliding past another two and sliding a shot through the goalkeeper's legs with unerring composure to make it 1-0.

Seven minutes later, Bellingham rose to head the ball past Malaga's hapless No.1 Alfonso Herrero after he'd pushed an Mbappe shot up into the air. It ultimately went down as an own goal for Herrero because Carlos Puga's attempted clearance deflected back off the 'keeper and into the net, but Bellingham forced the error.

Mbappe got his goal on the half-hour mark, and Guler added gloss to the scoreline late on as Madrid made it nine points out of a possible nine in La Liga. Bellingham, who also smashed a shot against the post in the second half, was serenaded with a a chorus of 'Hey Jude' by the Madrid faithful after being substituted three minutes from time, which was a just reward for his stellar work on and off the ball.

"I feel more free right now. I have more freedom to move, to go up and down the pitch, depending on what we need," Bellingham told Madrid's media channel after the win. "I’m having a lot of fun and that’s why I’m performing well."

Mourinho is responsible for putting that smile on Bellingham's face at club level. He obviously saw how effective the England star was as a No.10 at the World Cup - where he notched seven goals in eight appearances - and it makes perfect sense to use him the same way in Madrid, with Mourinho favouring the same 4-2-3-1 formation as Thomas Tuchel.

"Bellingham sometimes defended like a second left-back last season," Mourinho said during his post-match press conference at the weekend. "I told him I do not want to see that anymore. I made a deal with him."

To get the maximum out of Bellingham, he needs to be close to goal - it's not rocket science. Alonso tried to give Bellingham much more responsibility at the other end of the pitch to free up Mbappe and Vinicius, and it backfired; Madrid are most fluid and dangerous when they form an attacking triumvirate. Mourinho is now demanding that all forwards must shoulder their own defensive duties, allowing Bellingham to stay in the centre and right in the thick of the action.

He's still a relentless ball-winner who breaks up the play for Madrid, but also has license to crash the box, and there are no attacking midfielders on the planet who do that better than Bellingham. He deserves to share the spotlight with Mbappe and Vinicius, which Mourinho understands perfectly.

"Very good players want to play together," he added when quizzed on the trio's chemistry. "They want to play with people who have the same quality, the same speed of thought. Before I arrived, people said a lot 'Mou doesn't want this, or that, the three are incompatible, and I've always said I want the best players. All I see is that they're all really good."

Mourinho continued by insisting that "Bellingham is not only a top player, but also a leader" and declared "he is in the Ballon d’Or race". Unfortunately, though, the third of those claims is not quite accurate.

Bellingham won't be a threat to this year's Golden Ball frontrunners like Harry Kane, Lamine Yamal, Messi, Michael Olise, and Rodri, because he and Madrid endured a very disappointing 2025-26 campaign that ended with precisely zero trophies. A strong World Cup won't make up for that; Mbappe has a better chance than Bellingham because he still scored 42 goals in all competitions last term, but even he is being classed as an outside candidate.

It could be a different story in 2027 if Bellingham keeps up his current level, though. He's already up to four goal involvements for the new season, and will believe he can go on and better his first year at Real, when he scored 23 and laid on another 13 as they secured a La Liga and Champions League double.

That was enough to secure third place in the 2024 Ballon d'Or voting for Bellingham, behind Vinicius and eventual winner Rodri. He's had to deal with his fair share of bad luck since then, but Bellingham has come through the other side an even better player, and this is a more formidable Madrid squad than it was two years ago.

Outshining Mbappe and Vinicius over the next nine months will take some doing, but Bellingham has no limits. Winning the Ballon d'Or would be the natural next step in a career that has already seen him break staggering new ground to emerge as a true generational talent.