As English teams continue to compete, Real Madrid's Bellingham did this on vacation

There is no other player in the world who has grown as much and as quickly over the last year as Jude Bellingham. He was one of the youngsters who surprised fans the most with his performances during the Qatar 2022 World Cup with the England National Team. That made many important clubs in Europe try to sign him, such as Manchester United.

But finally it was Real Madrid who got him, paying over $120 million to Borussia Dortmund for him, in the hope that he will become a top star. However, not even the most optimistic of Spanish fans imagined that Jude would shine as he did during his first six months at the club: he took over leading the team in the face of Karim Benzema's departure and Vinicius Junior's injuries, scoring 17 goals between La Liga and the Champions League.

After the 1-0 win over Alaves on December 21, Los Merengues began a short vacation, before returning to training to prepare to face Mallorca on January 3. Jude took advantage of those days off to fly to England and join his family in Sunderland. There he enjoyed a Christmas dinner with his parents and his brother Jobe and shared on social media some pictures of that moment.

But he didn't forget about soccer. He was also present at two Jobe Bellingham games in Sunderland. First he attended the Black Cats' 3-0 defeat of Coventry at the Stadium of Light and then the 1-0 win over Hull City in Yorkshire. His brother's team is in sixth place in the Championship, England's second division. With 36 points, they are 23 points behind leaders Leicester City, who are the favorites to win the title and achieve promotion to the Premier League.

He will have a demanding 2024

Jude Bellingham could do with a short vacation to rest and prepare for next year. During the first half of the year he will have to help Real Madrid win the Spanish Super Cup, La Liga, Copa del Rey and Champions League titles. And next summer he will play Euro 2024 with the English national team.