How do you stop Jude Bellingham? LaLiga players, coaches sound off - ESPN

Jude Bellingham stands, arms outstretched, facing the crowd, celebrating another goal. It's a pose that LaLiga players, coaches and fans have gotten used to seeing this season. From San Mamés to Balaídos, Montilivi to Montjuic — and, of course, at the Santiago Bernabeu — Bellingham's 16 goals have helped Real Madrid top the table. Going into Sunday's El Clasico with Barcelona (stream LIVE on Sunday, 2 p.m. ET, ESPN+), they're eight points clear of their rivals, with seven games left to play.

Bellingham's packed 2023-24 highlight reel includes a brace against Barca in the season's first Clasico, Madrid's 2-1 comeback win in October, featuring a goal-of-the-season contender and a 92nd-minute winner. In Europe, there was his virtuoso solo effort, carrying the ball from the halfway line, away at Napoli in the UEFA Champions League group stage. Later, there were two goals in February's 4-0 demolition of Girona, which effectively knocked the Catalan side out of the LaLiga title race and put Madrid in pole position.

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There have been setbacks, too. In November, Bellingham dislocated his left shoulder — he still plays with strapping to protect it — and in February, he twisted his left ankle. He was sent off against Valencia for disputing the referee's decision to blow the final whistle before Bellingham's header hit the net. His goal scoring suffered.

«The main thing that killed my rhythm was the [ankle] injury,» Bellingham said this week. «Finally I got over that pain in my ankle, played against Valencia, scored what I thought was a perfectly good goal, and got suspended.»

Despite that dip, Bellingham's