Talents Calendar
The name Bellingham has a significant meaning at Championship side Birmingham City. In August 2019, Jude Bellingham made his debut aged 16, one month and eight days. Three weeks later, he scored his first goal to become the youngest goalscorer in club history. One season later, Bellingham would join Borussia Dortmund for a club record €25 million. All of that was enough for Birmingham to retire Jude Bellingham’s no.22. But the name Bellingham is once again visible on the pitch in the form of Jude’s two-year younger brother Jobe, who is now part of the first team.
Aged 15, Jobe Bellingham made the squad for the first time last August in a league game against Colchester United. But the attacking midfielder had to wait a few months to make his first team debut. In the meantime, there was a report in German newspaper Bild that Dortmund were interested in signing the younger Bellingham. The rumor suggested that Dortmund were impressed by the qualities of the English youth international and that the transfer could perhaps also convince his brother to stay with the Black and Yellows long-term. But for now, Jude is still with Dortmund and Jobe at Birmingham. In January, the younger of the two made his first-team debut in the third round of the FA Cup against Plymouth Argyle, where he was brought on in the 70th minute. “I am very proud,” Jude said in a video published on Twitter. Because Jobe was aged 16, three months, and 16 days, Jude remains the youngest Birmingham player in history.
Jobe managed one more appearance in the League Cup and the Championship last season before becoming an essential part of the first team this season. He was part of the squad in all 21 games leading up to the World Cup break and managed 11 appearances, mainly from the bench playing 136 minutes. Jobe managed his first start against Sunderland in mid-November. “We wanted to see what he can do from the start, and he played well,” head coach John Eustace said after the 2-1 defeat. A report by The Sunday People reporter Neil Moxley suggested that Eustace was under pressure to start the attacking midfielder.
Talents-Calendar 2021: Where are they now?
There is no doubt that the club believes in the talented attacking midfielder. Jobe signed a professional contract on September 23. “Honoured and extremely excited for this opportunity at my club,” Jobe tweeted. Brother Jude instantly retweeted. Jobe is one of the most exciting prospects at Birmingham, perhaps in all of England. He is not only one of the youngest players in the squad but also one of the most valuable. Bellingham has a market value of €3m, the third highest in the squad. Jobe was one of the biggest winners in the Championship October update, where he saw his market value grow by €2.5 million. Birmingham have described Jobe as a talented player with enormous potential on their homepage. The report further described him as a creative forward with a good eye for scoring goals.
Honoured & extremely excited for this opportunity at my club @BCFC Can’t wait for the season to begin #KRO! https://t.co/vu0zGmJhuX
— Jobe Bellingham (@j_bellingham) July 16, 2022
While Jobe has scored five goals in 11 U18 Premier League games, he is yet to score or assist for the first team. But goals and assists are only a question of time for the younger Bellingham. Unlike his brother, Jobe plays a more advanced role. The 17-year-old is primarily an attacking midfielder but can also play on the wing and as a striker. In his first game for the club against Sunderland, Jobe was used as a no.8. His older brother Jude does not doubt that Jobe can emulate his success. “I’m doing it, and I’m sure Jobe [Bellingham] is going to get the chance to one day,” Jude said in an interview with UEFA.
The two brothers simulated countless Champions League games playing on a grass patch in front of their house. “We’d be out there from the morning until night, especially in the summer, when we didn’t have school, and they would always end with us two as best mates or the worst enemies ever, really,” Jude said in the UEFA interview. “The amount of times we came in with tears streaming down our faces are countless. Every game we played, we always said it was the Champions League final. We’d make up teams and make up stadiums that we’d play in. We must have played about 1,000 Champions League finals on that little patch of grass, so that was always the goal: to play at the highest level in the Champions League.” While Jude has now played 21 games in the Champions League and is one of just eight players in the world with a market value of €100m or more, his brother Jobe is now attempting to walk down a similar path.
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