Jude Bellingham has been raised correctly, as evidenced by his maturity above his years, strong work ethic, and immaculate manners.
England’s hero, who is still only 19, has reached the top.
With his £115 million move to Real Madrid, he will now follow in the footsteps of Zinedine Zidane, Cristiano Ronaldo, and David Beckham, all of whom graced the Bernabeu pitch with poise.
Behind the teenager’s incredible achievement are his mother Denise, whom he refers to as his “queen,” and his father Mark, who was his first footballing hero… until Wayne Rooney came along.
While Jobe, 17, is following in the footsteps of his elder sibling, climbing through the ranks at Birmingham City to become a target for Premier League clubs.
The Bellinghams’ close family tie has led to his amazing achievements at such a young age.
The role of mother
In December, while representing England at the World Cup in Qatar, Jude revealed that his mother Denise, who works in human resources, still made his bed.
That made his teammates laugh, and when he returned to Gareth Southgate’s training camp, they mocked him.
But he also discussed the importance the matriarch of the Bellingham clan has played in his ascent to the top.
“The role my mother is playing is enormous,” he said.
“To be honest, I think it’s probably the most important role of anyone right now, even more than my coaches and managers.”
As world football glory beckoned, she helped Jude stay grounded.
After a breakout season that saw the club retire his No22 shirt, Borussia Dortmund paid his boyhood club Birmingham City £22 million in 2020.
Denise joined Jude in Germany and assisted him in settling in, while father Mark, a veteran police sergeant, remained in the Midlands with younger son Jobe.
It was a sacrifice they made to guarantee that both of their kids received the assistance they required, with Denise able to assist Jude in focusing entirely on his sport and not becoming spoilt by the money young, talented athletes make.
Adoring father
Growing up, guys frequently idolize their fathers.
Jude was no exception. His first hero was his father.
Mark Bellingham had a successful non-league career with clubs such as Stourbridge, Leamington, Sutton Coldfield, Bromsgrove Rovers, and Halesowen Town.
He was a superb poacher, scoring over 700 goals in 900 games at semi-pro level. Consider a non-league Pele.
Mark worked as a sergeant with West Midland Police when he was playing football.
“We talk about footballing heroes, and my dad was like my first,” Jude said in 2021 to the FA website.
“Watching him play every week in non-league, you know it’s not the Premier League or anything, but seeing the way he played and the atmosphere made me fall in love with football, so he was probably my first hero.”
“After a few trips, I’d start paying more attention to the games and stuff, the atmosphere, and when he’s scoring goals and you see him celebrating and stuff like that, you want that to be me.”
“Growing up, he’d always give me tips on what I could do, and now it gets to a certain age and it sort of flips, and that’s brilliant because we have that kind of relationship like father and son, and then as I got older, like coach and player.”
Mark is now Jude’s agent and has represented him in discussions with Real Madrid as he embarks on a new adventure.
Continuing in his footsteps…
Jude’s career has taken him from being a key part of England’s setup to a success story in Germany with Borussia Dortmund, where he was recently crowned Bundesliga player of the season, and now to Los Blancos.
Back in Stourbridge, however, his younger brother Jobe is making a name for himself.
When comparing his career to that of his father, Jobe, then 17, stated, “If I get anywhere near that, I’ll have had a great career.” I’ll give it my all!
“I’m here today because of all the sacrifices my mother, father, brother, and grandparents have made.”
He has already outperformed his father
Despite his youth, Jobe appeared in 22 Championship games last season.
He has also represented the Three Lions at the U16, U17, and U18 levels. There’s a good chance he’ll play alongside Jude for his country, perhaps as a new version of the Charltons.
Burnley, the Premier League’s newcomers, have been connected with a £15 million bid for the talent.
Sunderland are also thought to be interested, but manager Lee Bowyer has advised caution.
“Whenever he steps on the pitch now, everyone is going to expect him to be like his brother,” the ex-Leeds player explained.
“Don’t do it to him. It’s not right for him. He is going to be his own player. We feel he will do well.”
You can’t argue with parents like Denise and Mark.
