Spanish media spark Jude Bellingham injury fears after England star's heroics vs Norway
England's Jude Bellingham was once again the star of the show against Norway, but there are now concerns the Real Madrid midfielder may have aggravated a previous injury
Injury concerns over Jude Bellingham have been sparked after he grabbed his shoulder twice during and after England's win over Norway. Bellingham scored both goals in England's 2-1 quarter-final victory, but there are claims he could have aggravated a previous injury.
The 23-year-old missed Real Madrid's first four La Liga games in the 2025/26 season after undergoing a procedure on his shoulder last summer and may still be bothered by the issue. The first instance of some possible pain came during a hydration break with an image circulating of Bellingham putting pressure on that area while in discussion with Tuchel.
Following the full-time whistle, he was also captured stretching before speaking to reporters in the mixed zone. Spanish outlet Diario AS continued recording Bellingham as he approached the microphones with the attacking midfielder later clutching at his shoulder blade.
Bellingham has shown no signs of the injury stopping him so far at the World Cup and he hit new heights on Saturday, reaching six goals for the tournament with his stunning brace against Norway.
Despite his heroics, a spiky back-and-forth between him and Thomas Tuchel during separate TV interviews has dominated the headlines. The latter had described his side's performance as "sloppy, lucky" and not good enough in "every sense".
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Bellingham was then told of Tuchel's comments with the England star disagreeing and biting back. He said: "Yeah, well. Whatever, whatever. It's difficult out there. It's a tough shift. All the players are putting in a very tough shift. My thoughts and appreciation goes to the players who were out there and put in a great shift yet again.
"Maybe he doesn't know what it is like to play in those kind of conditions against Erling Haaland, Martin Odegaard, Antonio Nusa and Alexander Sorloth. That's not an easy team to play against."
Bellingham is arguably at his best when playing on the edge and with a bit of arrogance. Considering his performances overseas thus far, it is clear that Tuchel is getting the best out of him with this incident unlikely to cause a rift between the two.
For the Three Lions to reach the World Cup final, Bellingham will almost certainly be needed at his best with Argentina confirmed as their opponents in the final four after their extra-time triumph over Switzerland.
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