According to reports, Real Madrid was on the verge of losing their La Liga title race on Sunday night. While the match against Atletico Bilbao was tied in stoppage time at the Santiago Bernabeu, a stunning strike from Fede Valverde in the 93rd minute, which found the top corner of Unai Simon’s goal, kept them four points behind Barcelona at the top of the table.

Jude Bellingham started the match in a position between Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo in the attack, a role that seemed perfectly suited for him last season. However, he did not shine against Bilbao and received mixed reactions from Spanish media.

Sport rated his performance as an average six out of 10 and wrote: “He still hasn’t found his place. In the first half, we saw a Bellingham who has declined the most compared to last season. He played as an attacking midfielder and even a striker, but the issue isn’t his position on the field—it’s the quality and finesse he has lost.

After Vinicius’ brilliant cross, this lack of quality was evident in his final touches. He tried hard to score but lacked the precision and efficiency that made him a winner last season.”

In contrast, Marca offered a more optimistic assessment and wrote: “This English midfielder was one of the most dangerous players on the field in the second half, coming close to scoring twice with headers in less than a minute. The first chance came from a spectacular left-footed cross by Vinicius, which Bellingham met with a powerful header, forcing Unai Simon to push the ball out for a corner.

The resulting corner, taken by Luka Modric, saw Bellingham head the ball again toward the goalpost, but it narrowly missed. After a long time, Bellingham became a player in the penalty area who could make a difference again.”

Mundo Deportivo, however, was not as positive, awarding him only one star out of three for his performance in this match.

Meanwhile, AS was slightly more lenient, giving the English midfielder two stars out of five and writing: “Bellingham and Rodrygo were practically absent in the first half. The halftime break changed everything. Real changed, and so did Bellingham. In the second half, he had two headed attempts, both of which could have been goals. Unai Simon saved the first one.”