Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham says the pitches at the Club World Cup “aren’t great at all” and hopes they will improve for next summer.
Bellingham is almost certain to return to the United States in 12 months’ time for the World Cup that is also being staged in Mexico and Canada, and is hoping lessons will be learned from the club equivalent that has been dogged by extreme heat and poor playing surfaces.
Speaking after Madrid’s 3-1 win over Pachuca, the England international said: “The pitches aren’t great at all. It holds the ball up. The ball barely bounces. It’s tough on the knees as well. Hopefully it’s something that someone will look at, going into next year.
“It’s important we protect the players as well as giving the fans a great spectacle and giving them great games like today.”
“The pitches aren’t great, the ball barely bounces”
Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham says the pitches need to improve ahead of next year’s World Cup ⚪ pic.twitter.com/hsRPMLScFP
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) June 23, 2025
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Fatigue kicking in due to ridiculous schedule
Bellingham has struggled with a shoulder injury over recent months and struggled to recreate the impact he made during his first season at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Add in the relentless schedule – the Pachuca clash was Bellingham’s 61st game of a season that came on the back of a long summer with England at the European Championship – and he, like many players, is in desperate need of a rest.
“Yeah, I’m definitely feeling it [the fatigue],” Bellingham told Mail Sport. “With the new kits, new managers and new players coming, it probably kids you into thinking it’s a new season.
“But you’ve already got 50 to 60 games in your legs and in this heat, you can definitely feel it. But the way I and the team are approaching it is that it’s five more games of graft and everything we’ve got to try and bring home another title.”
Bellingham impressed by early Trent impression
Bellingham will have a familiar face in Madrid this season with the club having signed his international colleague Trent Alexander-Arnold, who surprised everyone by speaking Spanish at his presentation.
“He’s been really good. I think the lads have taken to him really well. Not only is he an amazing player, he’s a great guy as well. He’s already speaking a bit of Spanish,” Bellingham said.
“All the lads were impressed by that. It’s just about enjoying himself really. The pressure is going to be insane but I told him he’s here for a reason. He’ll do great things for the club and I think he already believes that he’s got that confidence.”
Bellinghams starring Stateside
Jude is not the only Bellingham to be impressing in the US with his younger brother Jobe winning the man of the match award after scoring in Borussia Dortmund’s 4-3 win over the Mamelodi Sundowns on Saturday.
“We talk every day and I’m really proud of him,’ said Jude of Jobe, who Dortmund signed from Sunderland prior to the tournament. “My parents are out here and they’re flipping between both our games so it’s been a really proud few days for our family. To watch my little brother play at the highest level is something I’ve dreamed of.”
