Jude Bellingham reveals "hardest feeling" following shoulder surgery in candid video

An awkward fall against Rayo Vallecano in November 2023, just months after his £115 million move to Madrid, caused a particularly painful dislocation

The 22-year-old midfielder finally went under the knife in July to correct a recurring dislocation issue that had plagued him for three years. 

Throughout this period, Bellingham played with a supportive brace under his jersey, remarkably featuring in two major tournaments for the Three Lions while managing the problem.

In a seven-minute video released on his YouTube channel, Bellingham documented the entire process, from consultations with surgeon Andy Wallace to the operation itself. 

The footage provides an unprecedented look at a top-level athlete's surgical procedure, including close-up views of the instruments and the inside of the shoulder joint.

Speaking just three days after the successful operation at London's Fortius Clinic, with his arm in a sling, Bellingham described his anxiety. 

"I was really worried about everything that could go wrong," he said. "It’s the most anxious I’ve been about anything, the hardest feeling I’ve had before something."

The midfielder explained that the injury first occurred during the 2022-23 season with Borussia Dortmund. 

"It’s the instability of knowing that if I land funny, it can always come out," Bellingham explained, adding, "The thing I’m most looking forward to is being able to play without a brace again."

He chose to delay surgery to ensure his availability for the World Cup that winter. However, subsequent dislocations in 2023 and 2024 while playing for Real Madrid made the procedure unavoidable.

"It felt like an eternity before the physios got it back in," he recalled of the 90-second ordeal. "It was a horrible experience."

Bellingham also revealed the wider physical impact of the injury. "Wearing the brace means that other parts of my body have to compensate," he noted. 

"I had a point where I felt like I couldn’t move because of a pain I had in my back, so I got a scan and there was a herniated disc on the side of my shoulder."

Now on the road to recovery, the star is optimistic about returning to his peak physical condition. "I know what I can do technically, tactically... But now being back to my best physically will aid all that into coming into one and seeing the best of me, hopefully."