Jude Victor William Bellingham, an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for both the England national team and the Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund, was born on June 29, 2003.
When Bellingham made his senior debut in August 2019 at the age of 16 years, and 38 days, he was the club’s youngest-ever first-team player. Bellingham joined Birmingham City as an under-8 player and played frequently during the 2019–20 season. In his first competitive game after joining Borussia Dortmund in July 2020, he set a record for the group’s youngest goal scorer. At the under-15, under-16, under-17, and under-21 levels, he was an England player. In addition to representing the nation in the UEFA Euro 2020 and the FIFA World Cup 2022, he made his debut for the senior team in November 2020.
If you’re interested to know more about Jude Bellingham’s early life, professional life, and international career, then keep reading!
Early Life
Jude Victor William Bellingham, the eldest son of Denise and Mark Bellingham, was born on June 29, 2003, in Stourbridge, in the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley, in the West Midlands. His father Mark was a renowned goal scorer in non-League football and served as a sergeant in the West Midlands Police until 2022. Jobe Bellingham, Bellingham’s younger brother, plays for Birmingham City. In Birmingham’s Edgbaston, Bellingham attended Priory School.
Career in Clubs
Birmingham City
Bellingham played for Stourbridge before joining Birmingham City as an under-8. At the age of 14, he played in their under-18 team, and at the age of 15, he made his under-23 team debut against Nottingham Forest’s U23s. He entered the match an hour into it, scoring the game’s only goal in the 87th minute by sliding in to force the ball over the goal line after Kyle McFarlane’s pressure on the goalkeeper caused the ball to be diverted into his path. He appeared on FourFourTwo’s list of the 50 “most exciting youngsters in English football by March 2019, he scored three goals from 10 development squad outings and was highlighted as being of interest to top European teams. While still a student, he was progressively introduced to the first-team environment by gradually exercising with the seniors, going to games with them to watch, and travelling as the 19th man in March for a Championship game.
With Birmingham City, Bellingham took a two-year scholarship that would start in July 2019. He played and scored in pre-season friendly, attended the first team training camp in Portugal, and was assigned squad number 22 for the 2019–20 season. Bellingham made history on August 6 when he made his debut for Birmingham City’s first team during the EFL Cup’s first-round visit to Portsmouth.
Trevor Francis’ record of 16 years, 38 days was lowered by 101 days by him. He played for 80 minutes in the 3-0 loss and was named the game’s MVP by the Birmingham Mail. 19 days later, in the second half of Swansea City’s 3-0 loss, he made his Football League debut. On August 31, against Stoke City, he made his home debut. As Birmingham recovered from a 1-0 down to defeat Stoke 2-1, Bellingham, who had taken over for the injured Jefferson Montero, scored the game-winning goal at the age of 16 years and 63 days, becoming the team’s youngest-ever goal scorer. Two weeks later, he began the away game against Charlton Athletic, and after Kerim Mrabti’s cutback, he scored the game’s only goal.
Borussia Dortmund
Bellingham’s departure from Birmingham had long already become obvious, and it was claimed that he and his father had visited several prestigious teams, with Manchester United and Bundesliga team Borussia Dortmund being their top choices. He was drawn to Dortmund because of their track record of featuring young players as regulars in the first squad, as seen by players like Jadon Sancho. After travelling to Germany for a medical, the transfer was officially announced on July 20, 2020, with the joining date set for after Birmingham’s final game of the year. He became the most expensive 17-year-old in history because of the undisclosed cost, which Sky Sports reported to be an initial £25 million plus many million more based on performance-related criteria.
At the age of 17 years, 77 days, Bellingham made his DFB-Pokal debut on September 14, 2020, starting Dortmund’s opening game in the 2020–21 season against DFB-Pokal semifinalist MSV Duisburg. After 30 minutes, he scored the second goal in a 5-0 victory, breaking Nuri Ahin’s record for the club’s youngest goal scorer in a competitive game and beating Giovanni Reyna’s record by six days. He also set a new club record for the club’s youngest goal scorer in the DFB-Pokal. Five days later, in a 3-0 victory over Borussia Mönchengladbach, he made his league debut by setting up Reyna’s opening goal, earning him the title of September’s Bundesliga Rookie of the Month. Bellingham, who is 17 years and 113 days old, broke Phil Foden’s record for the youngest Englishman to start a Champions League game on October 20 when he faced Lazio in the group round.
International Career
Bellingham was qualified to represent both his own England and the Republic of Ireland thanks to a grandmother. In December 2016, he played against Turkey in his England under-15 debut. He received a Special Achievement Award at the 2018 Birmingham City Academy awards ceremony in honour of leading that squad during the 2017–18 season. He made his debut for the England under-16 squad at the year’s end and went on to play in eleven games, scoring four goals, and serving as captain.
He was a player of the England under-17 team that competed in the Syrenka Cup in September 2019 as a friendly competition to get ready for the March 2020 European Championship qualifying matches. In England’s opening encounter of the competition, a 5-0 victory over Finland in which he scored the third goal, he made his tournament debut as a substitute. In their second game, in which they overcame a goal deficit to defeat Austria 4-2 and get to the final, he led the squad. Bellingham once more scored the third goal. He was selected player of the competition and kept his position as captain for the final, which saw England defeat Poland on penalties after a 2-2 draw.
For the September 2020 European Championship qualifying matches against Kosovo and Austria, Bellingham received his first call-up to the under-21 team. He replaced Tom Davies after 62 minutes of England’s game against Kosovo with a 3-0 lead, making him the youngest player to play for England U21. He then scored after 85 minutes to clinch the 6-0 win.
