Jude Bellingham has started the new season looking like a player with something to prove.
The 23-year-old's two goals and three assists have helped Real Madrid to an impressive start under new boss Jose Mourinho, with three wins from as many games.
Bellingham's performances, and the freedom he has been given in his new role, has attracted a lot of attention.
By playing higher up the pitch, he looks more free, more influential and closer to the role in which he first made such an impact at the Bernabeu in his debut 2023-24 season, where he scored 23 goals as his side won La Liga and the Champions League.
Bellingham's last two campaigns were less consistent, with his displays and attacking influence affected not only by a deeper role, but by recurring injuries. He had a long-standing shoulder problem that required surgery in 2025 and a hamstring issue that kept him out for 10 matches in 2026.
Now, however, he appears to be at peak fitness, ready to build on his impressive World Cup form for England and showcase the full extent of his talent.
Since returning this summer to take charge of the club for a second spell, Mourinho has made an important adjustment in reducing the defensive workload that previously meant Bellingham had to cover huge areas of the pitch.
"We've organised the team differently," he said after Real Madrid's 4-0 La Liga win over Malaga.
"Bellingham sometimes defended like a second left-back last season. I told him I do not want to see that anymore. I made a deal with him."
The Portuguese manager has used Bellingham primarily as a number 10 in a 4-2-3-1 system, operating behind French striker Kylian Mbappe and with the freedom to move across the attacking line.
That gives the England midfielder a clearer role. Rather than constantly moving between midfield, defence and attack, he can spend more time in the areas where he is most dangerous.
"For me, this is his position, with his connection with the forwards, he can score goals," added Mourinho.
"He has to play close to the goal. Playing at number six or number eight, we're losing his closeness to the goal. I like this Jude."
It has meant Bellingham can receive the ball between the lines, carry it forward, combine with the forwards and make late runs into the penalty area.
Just as importantly, he is being given greater freedom to decide when to move.
Bellingham has explained the difference himself in an interview with Real Madrid TV.
"I feel more free to decide when to drop back, when to stay up or when to get into the box," he said. "I think this is the best position for me."
Mourinho still expects him to press and recover possession, but the difference is where that work begins.
Instead of dropping deep towards his own penalty area, Bellingham can now use his energy to press opponents higher up the pitch.
When Madrid win the ball, he is already closer to the forwards. That allows him to connect midfield with attack and provide another player who can combine with Mbappe and Vinicius Jr.
It also explains why Mourinho has been keen to stress Madrid's attacking players must work together rather than operate as individuals.
"The team dynamic is about 11, not 2+9," he said.
The midfielder also described working with Mourinho as a "dream", having previously only met the former Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham manager once before his appointment.
There is clearly an early understanding and respect between the two.
Mourinho has repeatedly spoken about Bellingham's importance to his plans, describing him as a "unique and super important player" with qualities that include physical, mental and tactical.
He also suggested Bellingham should be one of the players in the running for the Ballon d'Or.
"He is a unique kind of player and extremely important for the team," said Mourinho.
"His mental strength, tactical ability, the way he recovers the ball, the way he pressures, the way he plays up front, I am very happy."
For Mourinho, that versatility is part of what makes Bellingham so valuable. He can press, recover possession, score, contribute in the air and drive the team forward.
The Real boss has also pointed to Thomas Tuchel's use of Bellingham at the World Cup as an example of how to get the best out of him.
Bellingham was one of England's standout players, finishing with seven goals and an assist in his eight appearances, and his attacking qualities were allowed to flourish.
That experience also appears to have given the player a confidence boost, particularly as he rejoined Madrid later than most of his team-mates and had less time to prepare for the new campaign.
Although Real's three league wins - scoring 10 goals and conceding two - are only a small sample, and the demands will increase as the season progresses amid Champions League football, the early signs are very positive.
For Bellingham, whose huge strength has always been his ability to affect almost every part of a game, Mourinho's system has given him more control over where that influence is used.
After a difficult couple of seasons following the high standards he set in his first year, the England midfielder is enjoying his football again.
"I'm having a lot of fun, I'm really enjoying my football, and that's why I'm performing well," he told club media.
If he continues in this vein with Mourinho's continued support, it could turn out to be his best season yet.
