Jude Bellingham was the next Zinedine Zidane. He had the number to prove it. Then, he was the next Cristiano Ronaldo. He had the goals to prove it. And now, 18 months later, he's struggling. After a magical first campaign in Madrid, the England midfielder has spluttered his way through his second. The sophomore slump is real.
This is nothing new, of course. It is not uncommon for footballers to experience periods of difficulty, whether they're world-class and in their prime, or still figuring out their way in the professional world - the irony is that Bellingham is both. The key difference, though, is that Bellingham was brilliant last year, and he plays for Real Madrid. This is not a club that tends to allow you to take a few games off, never mind endure an entire turbulent campaign.
Bellingham knows this. He is too seasoned by the Madrid sun, too aware of the highs and lows that come with wearing Madrid white. Still, he has been truly woeful at times. His goals are well down, while he spends much of his time on the pitch cutting a frustrated figure, a player who is simply not enjoying this sport as much as he once did.
The reasons for Bellingham's struggles could be multiple. The obvious one is the introduction of Kylian Mbappe to this side, the footballing equivalent of taking a really nice pasta dish and grating in a high end truffle. Intriguing? Sure. Necessary? Absolutely not. It has thrown everything out of whack, and Bellingham is perhaps the one who has suffered the most. Some of it is also down to him. Individual performances have been lacking. That fact cannot be avoided. And perhaps more broadly, there is a real cloud around Madrid at the moment. The vibes are bad. The trophies aren't here.
Perfect time, then, for them to be playing Barcelona in what is surely the biggest game of the season, a Liga clash that could either redeem Bellingham's second season or ensure that it was a campaign to forget.
