Jude Bellingham’s rise to the top saw him dream of playing alongside global superstars like Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe.

The England star’s rise to the top has been meteoric, but now for the first time in his career he must deal with some adversity.

Jude Bellingham is enduring a frustrating campaign by his own high standardsGetty

Bellingham’s debut season with Real Madrid was nothing short of a dream, scoring 23 goals and offering 13 assists while inspiring Los Blancos to LaLiga and Champions League glory.

The numbers were spectacular, but now they’re being used as a stick to beat him with.

Despite offering two assists, Bellingham is yet to score in eight games this season – giving him just five goals since the start of March.

But that could have something to do with playing a more natural, deeper midfield position for club and country.

With the absence of an elite-level number nine last term, Bellingham was regularly asked to play in a more advanced false nine position, ensuring he was among the primary candidates to get on the score sheet.

This term, however, the blockbuster arrival of Mbappe in an attacking unit that also includes Vinicius Jr, Rodrygo and boy wonder Endrick means that Bellingham has retreated back into his natural central midfield role.

At times, he’s even been utilised on the left-side of a midfield four in an even bigger transition from last season’s central role.

Cutting a frustrated figure at time, Bellingham was forced to deny reports of a rift with his attack-minded teammates ahead of their Champions League win over Stuttgart last month, saying: “I saw on social media that they are trying to create something negative between me, Mbappe, Rodrygo and Vinicius. The only truth is that we are very good friends on and off the pitch.”

Discussing Mbappe specifically, he said: “It’s a lot of pressure coming to a club like Madrid, but he’s taken to it really easily and the lads love him already. He’s going to be a huge player for us, this season and beyond.”

The Spanish press have been out for blood too, piling on criticism after Madrid’s 1-0 Champions League defeat to Lille.

Bellingham is having to adapt his game to make room for Kylian MbappeGetty

Newspaper AS said in an opinion piece: “In Bellingham’s case, the decline is much more palpable: he has only two assists, without goals, in seven games played. Last season, after seven games, he had scored six goals.

“These figures should not be compared coldly, because his role now, since the arrival of Mbappé , is very different, but the Englishman is still looking for his best version as a midfielder , the one he offered, for example, in the second half of the European Super Cup against Atalanta. 

“Ancelotti knows this, but he is going to give him all the time in the world: ‘His position is the same as last year, with all the success achieved last year. Now things are not going as clearly for him, but we just have to wait.”

For England, a similar dynamic is emerging Lee Carsley facing the dilemma of where he can play Bellingham to get the best from him.

It’s a similar challenge to the one he faces with Harry Kane for EnglandGetty

Kane is England’s captain and talisman and will always occupy the number nine role when fit, meaning that once again, Bellingham must make do with playing a more disciplined, deep-lying role.

The Bayern Munich star is set to miss out the Three Lions’ clash with Greece through injury with Carsley understood to be considering a false nine – a role that Bellingham has been playing this week in England training.

It means that the 21-year-old Birmingham boy could be given a rare chance to play the role that saw him thrive for Real Madrid last term.

During Euro 2024, Bellingham was the subject of more media speculation regarding a rift with Kane, something that the England skipper denied.

Kane explained: “From a captain’s point of view, I am always talking to all of the players and with Jude we are always talking about how we can improve. We watched clips of the Denmark game to see how we can play better. We would have liked to have played better and had more of a connection.

“The relationship is still fairly new. Even though we have played a bit together there’s still things we can both do better. From Jude’s point of view he just needs to keep doing what he’s doing.

“In tournament football a lot of things are accelerated really quickly. In the first game he was the best player and man of the match and in the last couple of games none of us have reached the level we really wanted.

“I know things are being heightened and there will be a lot of talk, but that’s part and parcel of playing for England in a major tournament. Jude has dealt with that unbelievably well for his age. He’s dealt really well with going to Real Madrid for his age. So there’s no worries about Jude.”

Adversity comes in many shapes and sizes for a footballer and for a global talent like Bellingham, how he handles this season will be a big test of his world-class credentials.