El Clasico: Bellingham ‘better than expected’ says Madrid’s Alonso after win over Barcelona

Real Madrid coach Xabi Alonso on Sunday praised El Clasico match winner Jude Bellingham after a week in which his goals were vital for the club, proving he is back to his best after returning from shoulder surgery.

Bellingham scored Madrid’s second goal in the 2-1 La Liga win over Barcelona and set up the first for Kylian Mbappe after scoring the winner as Los Blancos beat Juventus 1-0 in the Champions League on Wednesday.

The midfielder missed several weeks at the start of the season after undergoing surgery to resolve a long-standing shoulder problem, and was not called up for England matches by coach Thomas Tuchel earlier in October.

«We saw it against Juventus, and today, and against Getafe (last weekend). In the last week he has played three very good games,» Alonso told reporters.

“In the beginning you need some time, a few minutes to get into gear, and it’s going even better than we expected after the last international break, when he was here and not with the national team.

“Jude is a player who is about feelings, communicating and connecting, and that is why he has played some very good games.”

Bellingham’s goal against Juventus was his first at the Santiago Bernabéu since April.

Madrid extended their lead over champions Barcelona to five points at the top of the table thanks to Bellingham’s winner, after Mbappe opened the scoring and Fermin Lopez equalized for the visitors.

Pre-match talk was dominated by comments from Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal, who suggested Madrid would ‘steal’ and ‘complain’, but Alonso said his team did not need the extra incentive to beat Barca after four Clásico defeats last season.

Report | Mbappe, Bellingham on target as Real Madrid beat Barcelona in the first El Clasico of the season

«The team was very motivated, we had talked beforehand about how important the match was, not just for the three points,» Alonso explained.

“(But instead) for where (we) come from, for having a good match, deserving to win, and I’m especially happy for the boys because they needed the feeling of being able to win a big match, like Clasicos are.”

Madrid had three goals disallowed for offside and defeated the Catalans in Alonso’s first Clásico.

Winger Vinicius Junior impressed for Madrid but raised eyebrows when he complained loudly when he was substituted.

«I don’t want to lose focus on what is really important here… Vini has brought a lot, just like the other players,» Alonso added.

“It’s an important victory and it could have been even bigger.”

Published on October 27, 2025