[Subscription Customers Only] Jul 9, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Real Madrid CF midfielder Jude Bellingham (5) shakes hands with coach Xabi Alonso after being substituted during a semifinal match of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup at MetLife Stadium.

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Jude Bellingham Makes Massive Return to Real Madrid Squad, Sparks UEFA Champions League Hopes

Bellingham included in the 23-man Real Madrid UCL squad.

After a tormenting injury lay-off, Jude Bellingham has made his highly anticipated return to the Real Madrid setup. The 22-year-old has been included in the Los Blancos squad for their 2025-26 UEFA Champions League opener against Olympique de Marseille. After numerous weeks of intense recovery and rehabilitation, the England international superstar will rejoin the men in white – hoping to continue their strong start to the campaign.

Bellingham joined Real Madrid in June 2023, with huge aspirations to win the La Liga and Champions League crowns. In one of the groundbreaking deals at the time, Real Madrid signed the prodigious talent on a six-year contract. In his first season with the Spanish giants, Bellingham tore the league apart. Completing the league + UCL double, Bellingham’s supremely impressive stats made the then manager Carlo Ancelotti term him “a veteran.”

With 36 goals and 24 assists to his name, Jude Bellingham is well and truly a key inclusion in the Real Madrid midfield. Slotting in as an attacking midfielder and an occasional false-nine, Xabi Alonso will be delighted that the Englishman has returned to match fitness.

Jude Bellingham Included in Real Madrid Squad for UCL Opener

Jude Bellingham underwent shoulder surgery in July, and wasn't expected to return until October.

…he's back in Real Madrid's squad to face Marseille on Tuesday 💪 pic.twitter.com/5cz4luIqJL
— B/R Football (@brfootball) September 15, 2025

On Monday, Real Madrid confirmed that Jude Bellingham has been included in the match-day squad for their upcoming UEFA Champions League group stage match against Marseille. He completed training with the team for the first time since his shoulder injury which kept him out after the FIFA Club World Cup. Initially expected to return only in October, Bellingham’s recovery has gone better than expected.

The box-to-box midfielder suffered a shoulder dislocation during Real Madrid’s encounter against Rayo Vallecano in November 2023. He played through the initial knock, until the discomfort worsened to a large extent. After the Club World Cup in July 2025, Bellingham underwent surgery in London to address the recurring pain in his shoulder. Yet, the road to recovery has been more than successful for the midfielder – as Real Madrid said ‘Hey Jude’ by welcoming their pivotal cog back to the 23-man squad to face Marseille on Wednesday.

📋✅ Our squad for the match!
🆚 @OM_English pic.twitter.com/1qiyZYN5tc
— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) September 15, 2025

Will Real Madrid continue their invincible start to the 2025-26 outing after Jude Bellingham’s return? Only time will tell.

(Image Credits: Lee Smith, Imagn Images)

Carlo Ancelotti

England

Jude Bellingham

La Liga

Real Madrid

UEFA Champions League

Xabi Alonso

Sankalp Harikrishnan

A passionate sports fan through and through, I am currently pursuing my MA in Global Sports Journalism. I specialise in tennis and football writing at The Playoffs News, and I have prior experience working at EssentiallySports and Sportskeeda. Born and raised in Bengaluru, India, sport was my safe space right from my childhood. After trying my hand at multiple sports and representing my educational institutions in cricket, badminton and table tennis, I found sports media to be my calling.