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Jude Bellingham is enjoying a sibling rivalry with his younger brother Jobe at the Club World Cup.
The older Bellingham brother opened his account at the tournament as 10-man Real Madrid beat Pachuca 3-1 on Sunday.
Jobe, meanwhile, marked his first Borussia Dortmund start with his first goal for the club in a 4-3 defeat of Mamelodi Sundowns.
“Everyone was caning me yesterday saying he’s better than me so I had to do something today,” Jude quipped in a post-match interview with DAZN.
“We’re 1-1 now and we’ll see for the rest of the tournament.”
Jude has been suffering with a shoulder injury, which will be resolved by surgery after the tournament.
“I’ve reached the point where the pain isn’t so bad, but I was sick of playing with the sling,” he explained.
“I’m losing a lot of weight from sweating so much, and I’ve decided that I’ll have surgery after the tournament.
“I’ve been waiting for a long time, and my patience is running out, but the physios and doctors have been incredible. I just want to feel free.”
27 – Real Madrid attempted 27 shots in their two matches with Xabi Alonso, their second lowest tally after the first two games with the same manager in all competitions since at least 2009/10 (Julen Lopetegui, 24). Difficulties. pic.twitter.com/KnUv5gyvcM
— OptaJose (@OptaJose) June 22, 2025
Xabi Alonso has suggested Jude will have to become a more all-round midfielder under his tutelage.
Indeed, Jude featured on the left side of a three-man midfield against Pachuca, and had 50 touches and completed 36 of 40 passes.
“I talk to him a lot every day. He’s a very good coach,” Bellingham said of Alonso.
“He has a lot of good ideas about how we play, defend, and attack. He’s very important for us in this new phase. We’re very happy with him.
“I prefer to participate in the game by touching the ball as much as possible, whether I’m further forward or further back.
“If I’m further back, I can make contact with the ball earlier, and if I’m further forward, I also get the ball.”
Madrid have attempted 27 shots across their two matches under Alonso so far, which is Los Blancos’ second-lowest tally after the first two games under a coach in all competitions since Opta began recording such data in the 2009-10 season.
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