Jude Bellingham Back To Best As Real Madrid Face Girona

While doubts grow around Kylian Mbappe's start at Real Madrid, last season's hero Jude Bellingham has burst into the kind of form which made Los Blancos the champions of Spain and Europe. Madrid visit Girona on Saturday in La Liga, who were the team which ran them closest for the title until a late drop-off in form saw them fall to third. Carlo Ancelotti's side have a game in hand on leaders Barcelona, whom they trail by four points after a midweek defeat at Athletic Bilbao, in which Mbappe missed his second penalty in just over a week.

By contrast Bellingham netted for the fourth league game running and is shouldering plenty of responsibility with Brazilian winger Vinicius Junior out injured.

Last season Bellingham scored 10 goals in his first 10 games for the club, but in the current campaign he went 12 matches goalless across all competitions before breaking his duck.

"I arrived last summer and the club lost arguably one of the greatest goal scorers of the generation in Karim Benzema," said Bellingham last week.

"This year we've signed (Mbappe), one of the best players of this generation, he's someone who has scored an amazing amount of goals so as a team we expect him to do that.

"For me, I know then my role differs, which I'm happy to do... (but) I also want to take that responsibility -- now I've got the smell for it again in these last couple of games."

Bellingham finished well against Athletic on Wednesday to pull his team back on level terms, before a Fede Valverde mistake allowed the Basque side to snatch a 2-1 victory, snapping a three-game winning run in La Liga for Real Madrid.

The England international helped Los Blancos win 3-0 at Girona's Montilivi stadium last season with a stunning assist and a goal, a