Coaches and teammates on how Birmingham’s ‘skinny teenager’ developed into one of the world’s best players before his first Champions League final
Alongside a sense of fun has been a self-belief that means Jude Bellingham has always held himself to sky-high standards. Illustration: Guardian Design; Diego Souto/Quality Sport Images/Getty Images;
Alongside that sense of fun came a self-belief that means Bellingham has always held himself to sky-high standards. Dodds recalls Birmingham’s under-15s losing in the semi-finals of a tournament in the Netherlands, where Bellingham’s words stick in his memory. “It went to penalties and Jude missed his,” says Dodds. “Jude stood up in front of all of the players and apologised, which for a 14-year-old boy I thought was really mature.
He discussed his next game, an under-16s’ final against Liverpool, which Birmingham won 8-4 after Bellingham scored four goals in 22 second-half minutes. “People talk about his talent and his talent is there for the world to see but it is his mindset,” Bailey says. “I remember when I started training with the under-23s as a 15-, 16-year-old and it is very easy to go into your shell, when you’re playing against bigger boys and you don’t know the lads properly.
Bellingham’s first goal came against Stoke, a deflected strike, after which he slid on his knees in front of the Tilton Stand. He had replaced the injured JeffeHis journey has not been all high-fives and hugs. Some of the barriers were intentional, carefully positioned hurdles to serve as tests.
The role of family in Bellingham’s rise cannot be overstated. Bellingham speaks every day to Jobe and their parents split their time between Sunderland and Madrid. Denise, regarded as the rock of the family, is based in Spain, father Mark is in England. Denise also joined Bellingham in Dortmund, where he became friends with Giovanni Reyna and Jadon Sancho, among those to have been in touch about the final. Then there are the ticket requests.
By then the FA were well-versed in his talents, from the then technical director, Dan Ashworth, to Southgate, who delivered talks to Bellingham’s age group, and others, during international camps. His first taste of Wembley came as a ball boy and Bellingham made his international debut there against the Republic of Ireland in 2020, doubtless with Dodds’s words still ringing in his ears. “Every single time Jude went away with England I’d say: ‘Don’t be like everyone else.
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