At a glance
- Jude Bellingham has gone viral for an awkward moment with President Florentino Perez caught on camera.
- It took place before Friday’s 1-1 draw with Girona at the Bernabeu.
- Now six points behind in La Liga, the title is slipping away for Los Blancos.
An awkward moment between Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham and president Florentino Perez has gone viral.
The exchange took place in the build-up to Friday’s 1-1 La Liga draw with Girona at the Bernabeu. Standing in a corridor in the bowels of the epic ground, Perez greeted the players one by one as they came to him.
Fede Valverde got a handshake and then a playful smack on the face, before several youth players passed the president.
Bellingham looked to be getting off with just a grasps of hands. At the last minute, however, Perez pulled him in close without saying a word, as the Englishman and Spaniard looked at each other tensley
Real Madrid fans have their own theories about the incident
Reacting to it, one supporter said: “Florentino has something with Bellingham and he knows it. I get the feeling there’s bad blood”.
“Well, he’s had two terrible seasons. It’s normal that he’s p*ssed off with Jude, and if he doesn’t like it, let him go to another team,” came a reply to that.
“If I’m Florentino and with the sh*tty season they’re having, I’ll welcome you all with lashes from a whip,” remarked another.
In short then, Madridistas are of the belief that any bad vibes are because of Madrid’s sub-par season. Capable of finishing the weekend nine points behind FC Barcelona should they beat Espanyol, the Champions League is there only chance of finishing a second consecutive season without major silverware.
For Perez and a club like Real Madrid, such an outcome is simply unacceptable. Though it’s a team game, there is a direct correlation between Bellingham enjoying his best campaign in 2023/2024 when Los Blancos won the double, then both the player and club’s success nosediving.
Bellingham should be cut some slack for battling shoulder injuries, though. And he showed glimpses of his class coming off the bench against Bayern Munich midweek.
If Madrid wish to advance and overturn a 2-1 deficit in the quarterfinals at the Allianz, Bellingham needs to crash into the box and net goals as in the glory days of old.
