Jude Bellingham’s difficult autumn has taken another curious turn after Real Madrid omitted him from their official 2026 club calendar, a decision that has left supporters questioning the midfielder’s status at the Bernabéu.
The 22-year-old, who was one of the faces of Real Madrid’s 2025 calendar and appeared as “Mr August” on last year’s edition, has been completely left out of the upcoming release.
The omission comes at a time when Bellingham’s once-guaranteed place in the team has come under pressure following his return from shoulder surgery and a spell out of form.
It is an eyebrow-raising move by Real Madrid, who have made the Englishman one of the most marketable players in world football since his £88million arrival from Borussia Dortmund in 2023.
Priced at £10.99, according to The Sun, the club’s official calendar features several established names but surprisingly includes no sign of Bellingham.
Also missing is Trent Alexander-Arnold, who joined from Liverpool in the summer.
In their place are newer faces such as Dean Huijsen, the £50m defender signed from Bournemouth, and Arda Guler, the promising 20-year-old Turkish playmaker.
Veteran right-back Dani Carvajal and centre-half Eder Militao are also among those who feature in the month-by-month lineup.
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Jude Bellingham is one of Real Madrid's key players
|REUTERS
Bellingham’s absence from what is essentially a commercial product would usually attract little attention, but the timing has inevitably fuelled speculation.
The Birmingham-born midfielder has started only one match for Real Madrid since recovering from his injury in September and was left out of England’s current international squad by manager Thomas Tuchel, who claimed the player “lacked rhythm”.
Tuchel said that while he regarded the midfielder as one of the best in the world, he could not justify selecting a player who was still regaining fitness.
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Dean Huijsen is one player who features on Real Madrid's calendar
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“Jude is a very special player, and for special players there can be special rules,” Tuchel said when naming his latest squad.
“But for this camp we thought it was right to stick with the same group.
“There is an extra layer in that he has not fully gathered rhythm and has not finished a full match until now and has only started one match.”
Tuchel insisted he remains a firm admirer of the Real Madrid star but said his selection decisions were made with long-term squad stability in mind.
“Do I believe we’re a stronger team with Jude? Yes,” he said.
“Is he one of the best players in the world in midfield? Yes.
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Trent Alexander-Arnold has also been snubbed from Real Madrid's 2026 calendar
|REUTERS
“But what are we doing if a player like Jude is injured before the World Cup? Do we not travel?”
At Real Madrid, Bellingham’s situation is more nuanced. Manager Xabi Alonso has continued to praise his qualities, describing him as an “essential player” whose energy and versatility bring balance to the side.
“I need his flexibility and versatility,” Alonso said last month. “Some players are more static, and Jude is not one of them.”
Nevertheless, the midfielder’s reduced minutes since his return have coincided with an unsettled spell for Madrid, which included a 5–2 defeat to rivals Atlético Madrid in which Bellingham was one of few senior players to start.
His subsequent appearances from the bench suggest the club is still managing his workload carefully.
While few at Madrid doubt Bellingham’s importance, his exclusion from the club’s glossy annual calendar has inevitably set tongues wagging.
Whether he can bounce back from the snub remains to be seen.