Jude Bellingham’s Ballon d’Or Hopes Take a Tumble After Bayern Munich vs Real Madrid Game

• Fans have reacted sharply to Jude Bellingham's performance against Bayern Munich
• The Real Madrid star's performance was far off from a leading Ballon d'Or contender
• Carlo Ancelotti's side managed to come away unscathed despite their star's off night

Jude Bellingham was put under intense scrutiny following his performance against Bayern Munich in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League semi-finals.

Real Madrid salvaged a two-all draw on April 30 to leave the tie evenly poised ahead of the return leg next week at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.

Vinicius Junior scored either side of the hosts' two goals to take his tally to nine goals in Champions League knock-out games.

Bellingham, who has been Carlo Ancelotti's star performer this season, had an underwhelming night - if the lofty standards he has set for himself are anything to go by.

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The Englishman has scored late goals to win games for Los Blancos this season, but at the Allianz Arena, Ancelotti opted to withdraw him in the 75th minute while they were trailing. Veteran, Luka Modric, took his place.

Reactions to Bellingham's performance vs Bayern Munich

The all-round performance, where he was eclipsed by Bayern Munich's number 10, Jamal Musiala, left fans wondering whether he deserved the 2024 Ballon d'Or after all.

@Ilatif said:

"As an honest Real Madrid fan, Vinicius Jnr deserves the Ballon d'Or than Jude Bellingham."

@Jiji_Byte said:

"Jude Bellingham is a Ballon d'Or favourite with these ratings in UCL knock-out games. This sport fell off."

Ghanaian journalist, Owuraku Ampofo, said:

"Jude Bellingham, this performance was nowhere near Ballon d'Or worthy."

The former Borussia Dortmund star will have a chance to make amends in eight days' time.

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Ballon d'Or 2024 favourites

As it stands, the 20-year-old is the overwhelming favourite for the 2024 Ballon d'Or 2024, is on course to win La Liga in his debut season, and Real Madrid remain firm favourites to win the Champions League.

Sports Brief reported that Bellingham also has an advantage as a guaranteed starter in a strong Three Lions side for the 2024 Euro championships but faces competition from Kylian Mbappe and Harry Kane.