Jude Bellingham is the perennial favorite at BVB. But the youngster admits that he’s gradually reaching his physical limits in this “freak season”.
At 19, Bellingham is an undisputed regular and top performer at Borussia Dortmund. When Edin Terzic thinks about his line-ups, the Englishman is probably the first name the BVB coach writes down.
This is also reflected in the statistics: In the current season, Bellingham has so far played all (!) 14 competitive games for BVB over the full distance. Then there are the Nations League games with England, in which he was also on the pitch from kick-off to final whistle. All in all, that’s 1,440 minutes that Bellingham already has in his legs.
This does not leave the youngster unscathed, as he admitted after the Champions League game against Sevilla in an interview with Ruhr Nachrichten: “The stress is taking its toll on me personally. I didn’t feel good before the game. After the game I was very, very tired.”
Bellingham explained that at some point he was “not mentally as sharp as in the previous game” – especially after a top game like against Bayern, “which took a lot of strength physically and mentally”.
However, breaks are out of the question. Up to the World Cup in Qatar, where Bellingham will of course be in the English squad, one English week follows the next at club level. It is not without reason that he called the current season the “freak season”.
Terzic’s dilemma in this “freak season”: Bellingham is so important for BVB that he would severely weaken his team in sport if he left the 19-year-old outside. The Englishman simply cannot be replaced on an equal footing in the BVB squad.
Asking for a breather is out of the question for Bellingham: “It’s not my way of saying that I want to sit out. I want to help the team. Otherwise I feel useless.”
One can only hope that Bellingham will survive this heavy burden without consequences. As is well known, the risk of injury when not rested is much higher than when he is alert. An injury-related failure of the midfield engine would really be the last thing BVB could use.
Teammate Julian Brandt, who has played in twelve games so far, is coping well with the strain: “Personally, I regenerate pretty well, but when I see some guys at the training ground or after the games, I have to say that it’s really hard on the limit is,” said the blond boy.
This article was originally published on 90min.com/de as Jude Bellingham sounds the alarm: “Freak season” demands tribute from the BVB star.
