There has been no shortage of hand-wringing in the Spanish capital about Vinicius Junior and his disciplinary record over the last two seasons. After his red card against Osasuna for dissent on Saturday, Jude Bellingham’s own issues with discipline are very much on their radar too.
Bellingham protested that he had not insulted the referee against Osasuna, with manager Carlo Ancelotti claiming that ‘f*** off’ is not offensive in his post-match press conference. However implicit in their defence – that Bellingham had not said ‘f*** you’ – was an admission that Bellingham was lucky to avoid punishment the previous week against Atletico Madrid, which was not an isolated incident.
Marca draw a direct comparison between Vinicius and Bellingham, and note that both players have missed five games over the last 18 months due to suspension (if Bellingham’s two-game ban is confirmed). Regardless of whether the dismissals are correct or not, Ancelotti is reportedly concerned by Bellingham’s increasing propensity to get into trouble with the officials.
Last season Bellingham accumulated nine yellow cards and a red, and this season he is on track to surpass that, with seven bookings and a sending off to his name this season. Between the pair of them, Real Madrid have benefitted from 116 goals and assists since Bellingham arrived, but have also seen the yellow flash 38 times and a further three reds. It was against Valencia last season that Bellingham was sent off for loudly shouting in the referee’s face after the final whistle, which ended in a dismissal too.
Real Madrid do intend to appeal Bellingham’s suspension, but he will miss games against Girona at the Santiago Bernabeu and an away trip to the Benito Villamarin to face Real Betis the following week. Should he pick up a booking against Manchester City on Wednesday, Bellingham will also be suspended for the first leg of any potential Champions League Round of 16 clash too.
