Real Madrid midfielder to attend Barcelona’s pre-season friendly in England | OneFootball

According to AS, Real Madrid superstar Jude Bellingham will be among the spectators at St Andrew’s later today as Birmingham City host Barcelona in one of the Catalan club’s pre-season friendlies.

The Real Madrid and England midfielder is currently on vacation following his involvement at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, where he helped his national team achieve a third-place finish.

Currently in his homeland, Bellingham will visit his old stomping ground later today and watch the friendly encounter between his former club and present rivals in person.

Homecoming for Bellingham

Before making his move to Borussia Dortmund and later becoming one of Europe’s biggest stars at Real Madrid, Bellingham began his professional career at Birmingham City.

Homecoming for Bellingham. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)

The England international is expected to greet supporters before kick-off, adding an extra layer of excitement to an occasion that has already generated significant interest among the home fans.

A capacity crowd is expected at St Andrew’s as Hansi Flick’s Barcelona continue their preparations for the new season.

Important season awaits Bellingham

As for Bellingham, the England international is expected to report back to pre-season with Real Madrid in a little under a couple of weeks, along with other Real Madrid stars who made it to the final stages of the World Cup.

The midfield superstar endured a mixed 2025/26 campaign, with injuries playing spoilsport. At the same time, neither Xabi Alonso nor Alvaro Arbeloa was able to utilise the Englishman in his best role, which impacted his overall performance.

A crucial season awaits. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)

There was also the lack of chemistry on the field between himself and the other two superstars of the team, Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr.

So, the upcoming season will be extremely pivotal for Bellingham as he aims to return to his best under new manager Jose Mourinho.

Untouchable

Real Madrid, for their part, are happy and excited to welcome their star midfielder after he excelled at the World Cup, finishing as the Bronze Boot winner and spearheading England’s third-place run.

Mourinho and Los Blancos consider Bellingham as an absolute ‘untouchable’ in the squad and consider him a pivotal part of the club’s sporting project going forward.