Jude Bellingham, the young boy who got his start at Birmingham City, is now on top of the football world with Real Madrid and the England national team.
Bellingham is the all-around midfielder everyone wants on their roster. He has the ability to always be in the right place at the right time with late runs into the box to score goals; he has the ball-carrying ability of a No. 8; and he has the work rate and defensive capabilities to do the dirty work in midfield as well.
A true jack of all trades in the middle of the pitch, Bellingham has become the type of player every manager appreciates because of how many different ways he can impact a game.
Now in his second World Cup, Bellingham has already scored six goals, including a brace against Norway in the quarterfinals and a brace against Mexico in the Round of 16. Both performances were pivotal in England’s progression to the semifinals.
Every time England has needed him most, Bellingham has come up with a big moment. He has been one of the most clutch performers at this World Cup, and whenever England has needed a moment of magic, Bellingham has answered the call.
Here is a look back at how Bellingham became England’s superstar midfielder:
(Photo by Nathan Stirk/Getty Images)
Bellingham’s rise started at Birmingham City, where he came through the academy before making his professional debut at just 16 years old in August 2019.
In his breakout 2019-20 season, Bellingham made 44 appearances across all competitions and became Birmingham City’s youngest-ever player and youngest-ever goalscorer. It did not take long for him to rise up the ranks as one of the best young prospects in England.
After just one first-team season at Birmingham, Bellingham earned a move to Borussia Dortmund. Birmingham later retired his No. 22 shirt, a rare gesture for such a young player, but one that showed how highly the club viewed what he had already done and what he was going on to become.
(Photo by Mario Hommes/DeFodi Images via Getty Images)
Bellingham joined Real Madrid in July 2023, and his debut season could not have gotten off to a much better start.
He registered 23 goals and 13 assists across all competitions in his first season and helped Real Madrid win La Liga and the Champions League. That Champions League triumph came against his former club Borussia Dortmund, with Bellingham assisting Vinícius Júnior’s goal in the final.
In that Champions League campaign, Bellingham had four goals and five assists, showing that his move to Madrid did not just put him on a bigger stage — it elevated him into one of the defining players in world football.
Bellingham again showed guts and ambition by choosing Real Madrid when Premier League clubs were calling his name. As an English player, it would have been easy to return home and become the face of a major Premier League club. Instead, he chose the uncomfortable path again, moving to Spain to play for one of the biggest clubs in football.
That has been the theme of Bellingham’s career.
He is not the typical English player. He has shown multiple times that he is willing to take the unique path away from English football, develop abroad in different countries and sharpen his craft elsewhere.
That started with Dortmund. Then came the ultimate move to Real Madrid, where he became just the sixth English player to play for the club after Laurie Cunningham, Steve McManaman, David Beckham, Michael Owen and Jonathan Woodgate. Trent Alexander-Arnold has since joined him at Real Madrid, but Bellingham helped reopen that pathway for English players at the Bernabéu.
Bellingham has shown he is willing to do the uncomfortable things to get to the very top, and now he is there.
If he can help England win this World Cup, he can truly say he has completed football at just 23 years old. He has won trophies in multiple countries, won the Champions League, become a star for Real Madrid and now has England on the brink of a World Cup final.
His legacy already looks strong.
But if England goes all the way, it will reach a completely different level.
