THE REAL REASON: Carlo Ancelotti explains why he was “angry” with Jude Bellingham before calling in Vinicius Jr to help resolve the issue

Bellingham’s attitude when being substituted

After Real Madrid’s 0-3 loss to AC Milan, a clip recording Bellingham’s reaction when being substituted attracted attention from fans.

Specifically, the situation happened right after Tijjani Reijnders scored the third goal for Milan in the 73rd minute, coach Ancelotti decided to take Bellingham off the field and replace him with Rodrygo.

This made the English star angry. Bellingham could not hide his disappointment, even losing control when he kicked the water bottle out of bounds.

Bellingham kicked the water bottle away after being substituted by coach Ancelotti

Bellingham played hard for more than 70 minutes against AC Milan but could not score or assist. His team even suffered a 1-3 defeat at home at the Bernabeu against the Serie A representative.

This season, the 21-year-old midfielder has only contributed 3 assists after 12 matches in all competitions and has not scored any goals. In contrast to last season, when he scored 23 goals and assisted 13 goals after 42 appearances in all competitions for Los Blancos.

Milan stun Real Madrid 3-1 at Bernabeu in Champions League | Reuters

Bellingham is also on the shortlist for the 2024 Ballon d’Or. As a result, the 21-year-old midfielder finished third in the voting race, behind teammate Vinicius Junior and Manchester City’s Rodri.

This season, the arrival of rookie Kylian Mbappe has made Real Madrid’s attack line crowded. Coach Carlo Ancelotti was forced to let Bellingham play deeper, supporting the “trio”: Mbappe, Vinicius and Rodrygo. This makes it difficult for the English star to play explosively like last season.