A curious decision from Real Madrid has turned heads across Spain, as the club opted to exclude both Jude Bellingham and Trent Alexander-Arnold from their official 2026 calendar — a symbolic move that seems to mirror the turbulent starts both Englishmen have endured this season.
The summer of 2025 was meant to mark a new era for Madrid’s right flank.
Alexander-Arnold, 27, had left his boyhood club Liverpool to join the Spanish giants, eager to reinvent himself under the white lights of the Bernabéu.
Instead, his first months in Spain have been anything but smooth.
The defender has faced mounting criticism for inconsistent performances before suffering a hamstring injury during the Champions League clash against Marseille last month.
Meanwhile, Bellingham has been working his way back after undergoing shoulder surgery following Madrid’s Club World Cup exit earlier in the summer.
Once hailed as the heartbeat of Carlo Ancelotti’s midfield, the English prodigy has yet to regain the rhythm that made him an instant icon in his debut season.
And now, according to a report from The Daily Mail, both players have been left out of Real Madrid’s 2026 official calendar — a decision viewed by some fans as a subtle statement of where things currently stand.
Last year, Bellingham’s image featured prominently; this year, he’s nowhere to be found.
In contrast, the likes of Kylian Mbappé, Vinícius Jr, Thibaut Courtois, Federico Valverde, Dani Carvajal, Arda Güler, Eder Militão, Brahim Díaz, and rising talents such as Dean Huijsen and Franco Mastantuono all make the cut.
The calendar, already retailing for £10.99, has quickly become a talking point among Madridistas ahead of the festive season.
For Bellingham, the calendar snub is just the latest blow.
The 22-year-old was also left out of Thomas Tuchel’s England squad, with the national team coach explaining his reasoning earlier this week.
“I understand your focus on Jude; he is a very special player, and for special players, there are special rules,” Tuchel said.
“But for this camp, we decided to stick with the same group. He always deserves to be in camp, but right now he lacks rhythm. He hasn’t completed a full match yet, and we spoke about that — there’s no issue at all.”
Real Madrid, meanwhile, continue their domestic campaign next weekend with a trip to Getafe’s Estadio Coliseum, hoping that their English duo will soon find their footing — and perhaps their way back into both the team and the spotlight.
