Jude Bellingham is in the form of his life and reminding everyone why he is one of the best in the world.
Jude Bellingham was born in Stourbridge, West Midlands, England. He is the firstborn child of Mark and Denise Bellingham and has a younger brother, Jobe, who is also a professional footballer currently playing for Jude’s former team, Borussia Dortmund. It’s clear to see where Jude and his brother get their footballing genes, with his dad, Mark, not only being a police sergeant but also a former prolific goalscorer in semi-professional football. Jude started playing for local team Stourbridge Juniors as a kid, before eventually being picked up by Birmingham City Football Club in 2010. He spent 9 years in the academy before being moved into the first team setup in 2019.
On the 6th August 2019, Jude made his professional debut away at Portsmouth in the EFL Cup first round, becoming Birmingham City’s youngest-ever player at 16 years, 38 days. Bellingham had an incredible first season in professional football, helping Birmingham avoid relegation and winning EFL Young Player of the Season. Jude was linked with numerous major clubs that season from January 2020 onwards, with Birmingham City reportedly having turned down a £20 million offer from Manchester United. A few days before the final game of the 2019/20 Championship season, it was apparent that Bellingham was on his way out of Birmingham. A £25 million deal had been agreed with Borussia Dortmund, making him the most expensive 17-year-old in football history.
Before Jude made his move to Dortmund, Birmingham announced they were going to retire his shirt number (22). The club stated that it was “to remember one of our own and to inspire others”. This was laughed at by football fans across the country. A 17-year-old having their shirt number retired was unheard of until then. That sort of honour was usually reserved for legends as they headed into retirement, such as Bobby Moore at West Ham, Johan Cruyff at Ajax, and Baresi at AC Milan. However, Birmingham City clearly saw something that no one else had seen yet, because fast forward six years, and it’s completely understandable why they retired that shirt. The boy from Stourbridge is already an England legend at 23 years of age.
Bellingham’s move to Dortmund was a roaring success, making 92 appearances in 3 seasons. The Englishman’s best season in Germany came in his last, winning a DFB-Pokal with Dortmund and the Bundesliga Player of the Season award. This had earned him a move to Real Madrid, in a move that cost the Spanish giants €103 million, potentially rising to €133.9 million with add-ons. Bellingham was given the famous number five shirt, synonymous with Zinedine Zidane, his idol growing up. Due to a striker crisis at his new club, Jude ended up playing much higher up the pitch than he was used to at Dortmund. This seemed to unlock a whole new version of Bellingham that we hadn’t seen yet. He recorded 23 goals and 19 assists in his first season at Los Blancos, helping the club win a historic 15th Champions League title.
Bellingham has struggled in the last few seasons at Real Madrid, seemingly hindered by a persistent shoulder injury. This raised concerns among England fans about his spot in the starting eleven for the World Cup. Many believed that Morgan Rogers should take the number ten position instead of the Real Madrid star. It’s incredible to look back at those conversations now. Currently, Jude has six goals, one assist, and four MOTM awards, making him one of the top contenders to win the Golden Ball at the 2026 World Cup.
In the Round of 16 and Quarterfinals, he scored consecutive braces, becoming the first player to do so since Diego Maradona and the youngest behind Pelé. While he and England will be disappointed that they were unable to qualify for the World Cup final, Bellingham has once again shown the world why he has the potential to go down as one of England’s all-time greats.
