The Real Madrid star's competitive streak makes him one of the best in the world – but has also occasionally got him in trouble
It is Jude Bellingham's job to be competitive. Talent is certainly part of his excellence, but athletes don't get that good that young without a certain drive. It's something that he himself has mentioned repeatedly in the past.
"Working at Real Madrid requires a certain level of quality and mentality, and to have this responsibility feels like a huge privilege to me. Every day I come I try to work hard to be the best," Bellingham said in January 2024 after his hot start to life at Santiago Bernabeu .
At times, though, that will to win has boiled over. Bellingham made headlines for the red card he received against Osasuna on Saturday, and although he may argue over the semantic difference between different offensive statements, it was not the first time Bellingham's competitiveness has landed him in hot water.
Indeed, as GOAL outlines below, Bellingham's temper has already got the better of him on several occasions during his fledgling career…
GettyDressing room disagreements
Bellingham, by most accounts, is an excellent team-mate. He seems to have good relationships with his fellow Madridistas, and is close with England competriot Trent Alexander-Arnold. But he hasn't always seen eye-to-eye with his colleagues on the pitch.
There were scattered reports of his presence in the Dortmund dressing room proving detrimental towards the end of the 2022-23 season, and in April exchanged words with Emre Can as his side collapsed in the final stretch of the Bundesliga title race.
Can would later argue that the midfielder "has a lot to learn" about being a pro.
AdvertisementMatch-fixing accusations
But that incident wasn't Bellingham's only Borussia bust-up. He made headlines with an emotional interview after Dortmund lost to Bayern Munich in December 2021, as a controversial penalty decision made by referee Felix Zwayer handed the Bavarians a win they barely deserved.
Bellingham made his sense of injustice clear in his post-match interview: "You can look at a lot of the decisions in the game, you give a referee that has match-fixed before the biggest game in Germany, what do you expect?"
Then-Bayern CEO Oliver Kahn was irate, and dubbed Bellingham's words "a step too far." He was handed a hefty fine, and narrowly avoided a ban.
Getty ImagesStamford Bridge strop
Dortmund and Chelsea engaged in a heated contest in the Champions League in March 2023. Bellingham's side took a 1-0 lead to Stamford Bridge, and were favoured to beat a team languishing in mid-table in the Premier League. But it proved to be a testy night.
Bellingham missed a good chance, and Kai Havertz was handed a controversial penalty retake – his conversion proving decisive in a 2-1 aggregate win. Bellingham had every right to feel aggrieved after the result, but still lost his temper after full-time. The midfielder shoved a cameraman who stalked him around the west London turf, and engaged in a heated conversation with Marc Cucurella.
He didn't mince words after full-time, either: "I don’t want to get in trouble, I’ve paid enough to them lot. That was disappointing and the fact they’ve had a retake is a joke."
'You're f*cking sh*t!'
Perhaps the most concerning outburst of Bellingham's time in Germany came in February 2022, when the Dortmund midfielder screamed at his left-back, Nico Schulz.
It did, admittedly, come at a crucial juncture of a testy contest. Dortmund were trailing Rangers 6-4 in aggregate in the second leg of their Europa League knockout tie whe Schulz overhit a pass that was aimed at the feet of Bellingham, who couldn't control the pinged ball. Bellingham's outburst, though, was of little justification, as he turned to Schulz, and unleashed a range of expletives.
"You can't get one f*cking pass off, you're f*cking sh*t! Every f*cking time!" he was heard saying. Don't sit on the fence, Jude…
