Jude Bellingham may be struggling to find the back of the net, but his Real Madrid teammates are right behind him.
The England midfielder is yet to score this season for his club side, and squandered two golden chances to end his drought in the 5-2 Champions League win over Borussia Dortmund.
GettyBellingham was disappointed with his efforts in front of goal against Dortmund[/caption]
Los Blancos overcame an early scare to come back from 2-0 down when Dortmund took the lead through first-half goals from Donyell Malen and English starlet Jamie Gittens.
Just two minutes after Gittens turned home, however, Bellingham was presented with a huge opportunity to get his side back into the game.
Vinicius Jr found the 21-year-old with an inch perfect through ball, only for him to direct his header straight at Dortmund’s goalkeeper.
And things went from bad to worse for Bellingham and Real a minute later.
After Rodrygo‘s acrobatic volley crashed the bar, the England hero looked set to turn in the rebound, before seeing his effort also canon off the woodwork.
Bellingham’s blushes were spared, though, as a second-half hat-trick from Vinicius Jr in between goals from Antonio Rudiger and Lucas Vazquez saw Real record a remarkable comeback victory.
But his missed chances were clearly still on his mind after the match, as he took to social media to share a joke at his expense.
Celebrating the win on Instagram, Bellingham shared a photo of him in action, alongside the caption: “Power of the Bernabeu!”
He then said of his lack of end product in front of goal: “Finishing practice for me tomorrow.”
The midfielder’s comments here were met with huge support from his teammates, who flocked online to share words of encouragement.
Credit: Instagram: @judebellinghamBellingham was not short of support from his teammates on social media[/caption]
Kylian Mbappe led the flurry of message on InstagramGetty
Bellingham will be hoping to follow in Vinicius Jr’s three-goal display against Dortmund
French superstar Kylian Mbappe wrote: “It’s gonna come really soon don’t worry.”
Meanwhile, goalscorer Lucas Vazquez showered praise on Bellingham, commenting: “You are different,” followed by a red heart emoji.
Hat-trick hero Vinicius Jr and goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois were also among those flooding the comments section with support.
The Brazilian hero wrote: “My brother,” as well as sharing a series of white hearts, while Courtois simply sent heart emojis.
Bellingham’s failure to find the net against Dortmund means that his last goal at club level came over five months ago, in a 5-0 league win over Alaves in May.
This was his 23rd goal in an incredible debut campaign in the Spanish capital which saw him win both LaLiga and the Champions League.
Admittedly, Bellingham’s five-month drought is made to look worse by the break in club football at the end of the season.
During his two months away from Madrid, he was certainly effective in front of goal for England, as he found the net twice at Euro 2024.
The Englishman hasn’t struggled for goals at international level whilst experiencing a drought with Real MadridGetty
Both contributions were crucial, with one the winning goal in the Three Lions’ tournament opener against Serbia, and the other a last-gasp equaliser in a round of 16 win over Slovakia.
The former Dortmund man also scored more recently for his country in a 2-1 Nations League defeat to Greece earlier this month.
And Bellingham will be hoping he can end his barren spell in front of goal at club level in the ultimate fashion this weekend.
Real Madrid take on Barcelona in El Clasico at the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday, where three points will take them level on points with their bitter rivals at the top of LaLiga.