Why ref-ranting, crotch-grabbing Jude Bellingham’s ‘dirty’ work has made him Real Madrid’s captain without the armband, writes PETE JENSON

Carlo Ancelotti read the riot act to his fantastic-four forward line at half-time of Saturday’s Madrid derby. The message was: either we play according to the plan or there will be immediate changes.

It was received loud and clear and but for the goalkeeping of Atletico Madrid’s Jan Oblak, a stunning second half from Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo, Kylian Mbappe and in particular Jude Bellingham would have earned Real Madrid victory instead of a 1-1 draw.

On Tuesday at the Etihad, the hottest attack in European football (60 goals between them in all competitions this season) takes on Manchester City’s unconvincing defence. It ought to swing this Champions League play-off in favour of the Spanish champions, but there are doubts and concerns.

Bellingham is the quartet’s swaggering leader but has flirted with crossing the line between bravado and indiscipline during his second season in La Liga and – along with Aurelien Tchouameni, Luka Modric and Eduardo Camavinga – the England midfielder will miss the second leg if booked.

There is also the worry of how Madrid’s top-heavy team may be made to pay for the tendency of their talented forwards not to work as Ancelotti demands. Were it not for a defensive injury crisis the Italian would probably opt not to pick all four of his star attackers against Pep Guardiola’s side.

Bellingham’s place is not up for discussion. He remains the beating heart of the team and the captain without the armband. Tradition dictates that the player who has played the most games for Madrid skippers the team but were it not for that, the 21-year-old would be leading the side out at the Etihad on Tuesday.

He has certainly taken captain’s responsibilities in terms of haranguing match officials. Pitchside microphones at the Bernabeu on Saturday picked up Bellingham raging at the referee’s assistant with a salvo of ‘f*** you man, f*** off’ when a close throw-in call went against him after just 11 minutes. A different player in a different stadium would have been booked for dissent.

Bellingham also led the complaints to the referee after a harsh penalty was awarded against Madrid, this time with more measured language. ‘That’s crazy, crazy, crazy,’ he said, and pretty soon the stadium was singing in unison: ‘Corruption at the Federation (Spanish FA).’ Those supporters love Jude’s big attitude.

The grabbing of his crotch as he complained to the referee about the penalty, and the winding-up of Atletico’s bruising Uruguayan centre back Jose Gimenez by making fun of his ‘man-bun hairstyle’, did not escape Spanish TV’s late-night highlights programme. It all adds to the legend that Bellingham started writing on day one of last season, when he scored on his debut and celebrated in front of the noisiest, most partisan end of Athletic Bilbao’s San Mames stadium.

‘You don’t do that here,’ he was told by then Athletic captain Iker Muniain. Bellingham sneered at the over-sensitivities. ‘Le gusta el barro’ agreed pundits poring over the highlights of Madrid’s 1-1 draw on Saturday night. It translates literally as ‘he likes the mud’, and means: he’s not afraid of getting his hands dirty.

Bellingham is also not afraid to work, but his three sidekicks in that fantastic four don’t always have the same appetite. Former Madrid player and La Liga analyst Alvaro Benito said at the weekend: ‘On a collective level they don’t work properly. They don’t defend well, they are disorganised, they find it hard to press effectively and they don’t track back.’ He had been asked why Ancelotti’s team have failed to win almost all of their big games this season, losing to Barcelona twice, AC Milan and Liverpool.

Ancelotti was unhappy more with his forwards’ movements on Saturday than their lack of effort. Vinicius was drifting inside to look for the ball and was treading on Mbappe’s toes. The Frenchman was dropping deeper to find space and crowding out Bellingham.

In the second half Vinicius hugged the left flank and Rodrygo the right, and Mbappe and Bellingham pummelled Atletico’s now stretched defence, combining for the goal scored by Mbappe that kept Madrid top of the table. ‘Bellingham dragged Madrid to the final frontier,’ said Diario AS. ‘He imposed the second-half tempo.’

The fact Madrid couldn’t go beyond that frontier and get the win means they are just one point clear of Atletico in second and two clear of Barcelona in third.

With four first-team defenders injured (Dani Carvajal, Eder Militao, Antonio Rudiger and David Alaba), the last thing they needed was this extra round in the Champions League against the team they still see as their greatest rivals in Europe.

At one end of the pitch at the Etihad they will have a 21-year-old defender, Raul Asencio, whom City Group tried to sign and send to Girona last summer, alongside midfielder Tchouameni in the centre of defence.

At the other end they will have four frightening talents in Mbappe, Vinicius, Rodrygo and Bellingham. Ancelotti believes they will be the difference over the two legs but they need to stay within the confines of his plan, and Bellingham needs to stay out of referee Clement Turpin’s book in Manchester. 

They need him on Tuesday night, but they will need him even more so next week.