Jude Bellingham is tipped to shine for England in the upcoming European Championships, after a standout debut campaign for Real Madrid this season. Yet, the young midfielder could have been donning the green of Ireland had things turned out differently; he's qualified to play for the Emerald Isle through a grandparent. Instead, he chose to make his debut against them.
At just 20 years old, Bellingham's performances under Carlo Ancelotti have been so impressive that he's now second only to teammate Vinicius Junior in the running for the prestigious Ballon d'Or. He's set to play a pivotal role in Real Madrid's quest for their 15th European title on Saturday night.
The footballer's father, a former non-league striker and policeman, once shared a snap of Jude sporting an Ireland jersey. Mark Bellingham took to Twitter during the height of the pandemic in September 2020, saying: "This half Irish kid [Mark] is going to go online and watch his mixed race England U21 international son [Jude] make his competitive debut in the German Cup."
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Mark beamed with pride as he watched on YouTube his then 17-year-old lad Jude score for Borussia Dortmund in his first game for the Bundesliga giants. Jude, who transferred from Birmingham City to Dortmund in July 2020 for $31 million, netted the second goal in a commanding 5-0 victory over Duisburg in the German Cup's opening round, reports the Irish Mirror.
After observing Bellingham's performance at the 2022 World Cup, ex-Ireland skipper Roy Keane, aged 51 and serving as a pundit, declared: "He's going to be a superstar, that kid." While Bellingham had the opportunity to step out for Ireland, he opted for his England debut against them in November 2020 as a mere lad of 17.
The friendly played at Wembley Stadium was won by England with a solid 3-0 score, and Bellingham earned the distinction of being the third youngest player to don the English jersey.
Those younger than him? Only Theo Walcott (37), who was also 17 when he went on to represent England in the 2006 World Cup, and Wayne Rooney (37) another star who could have worn the Irish green owing to his Irish lineage.
Born to parents Denise and Mark Bellingham in the year 2003 in Stourbridge, Dudley, in West Midlands, Jude carries considerable legacy. His father, Mark, served as a sergeant in the West Midlands Police while carrying forth a prolific career as a non-league striker spanning 20 years, scoring over 700 goals with clubs like Stourbridge, Halesowen, Bromsgrove, Leamington and Sutton Coldfield.
Speaking about his early brushes with football post his father's retirement in 2017, Jude reminisced: "I used to watch him play all the time. It's where I started to get that love for football."
Further adding: "I think you can see in the way I play that I've watched the game from a young age." He believes his style is gritty and tough, reflecting the non-league roots much like his father: "That non-league style of toughness and being gritty when you need to be is reflected in my game, and I do think that comes from watching my dad."
Like the legendary Keane, Jude too could have sported the Manchester United jersey, who were keen to table a $25 million offer for him back in 2020 when he was just 17. In November 2020, Bellingham revealed why he snubbed Manchester United, saying it was all about nabbing first-team action like his then Dortmund mate Jadon Sancho (22) who later transferred to United before returning to the German team.
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At the time, Bellingham out: "We're all trying to play but, specifically, we're trying to make that next step into Europe's elite." He added, "I think Jadon has done that perfectly and he was a massive factor in looking at his journey. Hopefully, I can mirror it."
The young star, now 20, inked a deal with Real Madrid last June for six years, with Dortmund pocketing a cool $111 million upfront for the transfer, which could balloon by another 30 percent to roughly $143 million with add-ons.
Bellingham's smashing debut season at the Bernabeu saw him netting 23 goals across competitions, and he's on the brink of possibly lifting the Champions League trophy at Wembley this Saturday when they face off against Borussia Dortmund.
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