Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham is hopeful of winning trophies in 2026.
Bellingham has openly admitted that 2025 was not a good year for Real Madrid. Leaving that disappointing chapter behind, the English star is looking ahead to the new year with fresh ambition and a strong desire to lift silverware.
After a hugely successful 2023–24 season in which Real Madrid won the Champions League, La Liga, and the Spanish Super Cup, the club continued its dominance in 2024 by adding the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Continental Cup to its collection. However, 2025 proved to be a rare trophyless year for the most successful club in Spanish and European football.
In the 2024–25 season, Real Madrid finished runners-up in both La Liga and the Copa del Rey, ending behind champions Barcelona. Their Champions League campaign also ended in disappointment, as they suffered a heavy defeat to Arsenal in the quarter-finals before being knocked out by Paris Saint-Germain in the semi-finals of the Club World Cup.
Following the Christmas break, Real Madrid’s players returned to training, where Bellingham spoke to Real Madrid TV on Tuesday about his expectations for the year ahead. The 22-year-old made it clear that winning trophies is his top priority.
“We hope to win trophies. The fans deserve trophies. 2025 was not great, so in the new year we want silverware.”
Bellingham underwent shoulder surgery after the Club World Cup, which delayed his return to action this season. Despite that setback, he has made a solid contribution so far, scoring four goals and providing three assists in La Liga, along with one goal and one assist in the Champions League.
Under new head coach Xabi Alonso, who took charge after the Club World Cup, Real Madrid made an impressive start to the season. They won 13 of their first 14 matches across all competitions. However, their momentum soon faded. At one stage, they managed just two wins in eight games and suffered back-to-back home defeats, putting Alonso under intense pressure.
Before the Christmas break, though, Real Madrid showed signs of recovery by winning three consecutive matches in all competitions. They will face Real Betis in La Liga this Sunday, followed by a Spanish Super Cup semi-final clash against city rivals Atletico Madrid in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on January 9. That match will present Real Madrid with their first opportunity to win a trophy in the new year.
