Jude Bellingham

Jude Victor William Bellingham (born 29 June 2003) is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for La Liga club Real Madrid and the England national team. Regarded as one of the best players in the world, he is known for his athleticism and ball-winning ability.

Bellingham joined Birmingham City as an under-8, became the club's youngest first-team player when he made his senior debut in August 2019 at the age of 16, and played regularly during the 2019–20 season. He signed with Borussia Dortmund in July 2020, and in his first appearance became the club's youngest goal-scorer. Over three seasons with the club he made 132 appearances and won the 2020–21 DFB-Pokal; his performances in the 2022–23 season helped Dortmund finish as runners-up and earned him the Bundesliga Player of the Season award. Later that year, he won the European Golden Boy and the Kopa Trophy.

Bellingham signed for Real Madrid in 2023 for €103 million. In his first season, he was the club's top league scorer, helping them to the league title and Champions League, and was voted La Liga Player of the Season. He was included in the FIFPRO World 11 for three consecutive years (2023, 2024, 2025), and finished third in voting for the Ballon d'Or and The Best FIFA Men's Player in 2024.

Bellingham represented England at the under-15, under-16, under-17, and under-21 levels. He made his first appearance for the senior team in November 2020, and was part of the squads for the UEFA European Championship in 2020 and 2024, as well as the FIFA World Cup in 2022 and 2026. At the 2026 World Cup, Bellingham helped England finish in third place as he scored seven goals, making him England's highest goalscorer in a single World Cup tournament.

Early life and education Jude Victor William Bellingham was born on 29 June 2003 in Stourbridge, in the county of West Midlands in England. His paternal grandfather, William Bellingham, served in the British Army in Berlin before becoming a teacher and the head of modern foreign languages at Southend High School for Boys, and was a strong influence on Jude's patriotism and values. Jude's father was a sergeant in the West Midlands Police until 2022, and was a prolific goalscorer in non-League football. He grew up idolising Zinedine Zidane.

Club career Birmingham City Bellingham joined Birmingham City as an under-8 He played for Birmingham's under-18 team at age 14, By March 2019, Bellingham had scored three goals from ten development squad appearances. and was drawing the interest of major European clubs. He was gradually introduced to the first-team environment, which included training with the team and accompanying them to an EFL Championship match in March 2019.

Bellingham took up a two-year scholarship with Birmingham City to begin in July 2019. He was part of the first-team training camp in Portugal, played and scored in pre-season friendlies, and was given squad number 22 for the 2019–20 season. On 6 August, when he started the EFL Cup first round visit to Portsmouth, Bellingham became the youngest first-team player in Birmingham City's history, at 16 years and 38 days. He played for 80 minutes in the 3–0 loss, and was the Birmingham Mail man of the match. He made his first Football League appearance 19 days later, as a second-half substitute in a 3–0 loss to Swansea City, He started the next match against Charlton Athletic two weeks later, scoring the only goal in a 1–0 win.

Bellingham became a regular starter for Birmingham. He began on the left wing, was moved into central midfield to help him gain confidence, and then was used in a more "advanced" role once staff felt he could handle the responsibility. Bellingham was EFL Young Player of the Month for November 2019. and on deadline day Birmingham reportedly turned down a £20 million bid from Manchester United. When the season was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Bellingham had made 32 league appearances. He remained an integral part of the team once the season resumed behind closed doors. He finished the season with four goals from 44 appearances in all competitions. In appreciation of what Bellingham achieved in such a short time with the first team, the club announced that they would retire his number 22 shirt, "to remember one of our own and to inspire others." At the EFL Awards, he was named both Championship Apprentice of the Year and EFL Young Player of the Season. Impressed by Dortmund's record of including young players as regulars in the first team, as evidenced by the likes of Jadon Sancho, Bellingham reportedly settled on the club as his destination of choice. He flew to Germany for a medical, and the transfer was confirmed on 20 July 2020. Bellingham was to join after Birmingham's last match of the season. Five days later, he marked his league debut with the assist for Reyna's opening goal in a 3–0 win over Borussia Mönchengladbach, and was named as Bundesliga Rookie of the Month for September.

In the first three months of the season, Bellingham was a regular in all competitions, with six starts and seven substitute appearances in the Bundesliga as well as four Champions League starts. but returned to action as an increasingly regular starter. His first Champions League goal came four days later against Manchester City in the quarter-final second leg, but Dortmund could not retain their away-goal advantage. Bellingham started in Dortmund's 4–1 victory over RB Leipzig in the 2021 DFB-Pokal final. He was booked in the first half and replaced by Thorgan Hazard at half-time with his team 3–0 ahead.

2021–2023: Bundesliga Player of the Season and league runner-up On 4 December 2021, Bellingham played in Der Klassiker against Bayern Munich. He made the assists for both Dortmund goals, but Bayern won the match 3–2 via a 77th-minute penalty awarded after lengthy VAR involvement. Earlier in the fixture, two Dortmund penalty appeals were turned down by referee Felix Zwayer, who refused to review either. Interviewed live by Viaplay immediately after the match, Bellingham was critical of Zwayer's decisions, and made reference to his part in the 2005 German football match-fixing scandal, saying: "You give a referee, that has match fixed before, the biggest game in Germany. What do you expect?" and he was fined €40,000.

On 22 October 2022, Bellingham scored twice in a 5–0 defeat of Stuttgart that put Borussia Dortmund into the top four; his first opened the scoring from a rapid attack that he both started and finished, his second was a skilfully curved shot early in the second half. On the final day of the Bundesliga season, Dortmund needed to beat Mainz 05 to ensure the league title. Bellingham was on the bench because of an injured knee, and remained unused. Dortmund managed to draw after falling 2–0 behind, but Bayern Munich's 89th-minute winner against 1. FC Köln was enough to put them ahead on goal difference. After the match, a tearful Bellingham pushed cameras away as he left the field. His performances earned him the Bundesliga Player of the Season award. Borussia Dortmund received a base transfer fee of €103 million with potential to rise by 30% to approximately €133.9 million due to add-ons, from which a sell-on clause earned Birmingham City around £6 million. He became the sixth Englishman to join Real Madrid in the professional era. efn-ua|The previous five were Laurie Cunningham, Steve McManaman, David Beckham, Michael Owen and Jonathan Woodgate. Two goals and an assist for Vinícius Júnior in a 3–1 victory at Almería and the winner at Celta Vigo in the two remaining August matches made him the league's top scorer and the first English recipient of the La Liga Player of the Month award. Bellingham scored 10 goals in his first 10 matches for Madrid, equalling Cristiano Ronaldo's goal tally after his first 10 games for the club in 2009. On 28 October, Bellingham scored a brace, including a stoppage-time winner, to secure Real Madrid a 2–1 away win against their rivals Barcelona, making him the first Real Madrid player to score in their La Liga and Champions League debuts for the club and in El Clásico. His first goal, scored from was his club's 300th in El Clásico and made him the first Englishman to score in that fixture since Michael Owen in 2005. Bellingham set several records with these goals. His coach Carlo Ancelotti commented: "He seems like a veteran, the goal to level it totally changed the game... Today he was stupendous and shocked everyone with his wonderful goal from the edge of the area." In a 4–2 victory against Napoli on 29 November, Bellingham became the first player to score in each of his first four Champions League appearances for Real Madrid.

Bellingham scored twice in a 4–0 win over La Liga title race rivals Girona on 10 February 2024. He was sent off for protesting at the end of Real Madrid's 2–2 draw with Valencia at the Mestalla on 2 March after what would have been his winning goal was denied because referee Jesús Gil Manzano had blown the whistle to end the game. He scored the winner in added time as Real Madrid won El Clásico 3–2 at home on 21 April; it was his 21st goal of the season, and made him Madrid's all-time top English scorer, overtaking Laurie Cunningham and David Beckham. The following day he was named as winner of the 2024 Laureus World Sports Award for Breakthrough of the Year.

2024–25: Second season and European Super Cup

On 14 August 2024, Bellingham started his second season in Spain, providing the assist for his new Real Madrid teammate Kylian Mbappé's debut goal, as Madrid defeated Atalanta 2–0 to win a record-breaking sixth European Super Cup. On 9 November, Bellingham scored his first goal of the season and first for Madrid since May 2024 in a dominant 4–0 home win over Osasuna. Over the next month, he scored league goals against Leganés, Getafe, Athletic Bilbao and Girona. On 14 December, Bellingham got on the scoresheet in a 3–3 draw at Rayo Vallecano, extending his scoring streak to six consecutive La Liga matches, becoming the first Real Madrid player to achieve the feat since Karim Benzema in 2016. Following this streak, he was named Player of the Month in La Liga for December. On 19 February 2025, Bellingham received a two-match suspension following his red card in Madrid's 1–1 draw with Osasuna. He was dismissed for dissent after protesting a refereeing decision, with the match official later reporting that Bellingham had used offensive language towards him. Manager Carlo Ancelotti stated that the referee, José Luis Munuera Montero, accused Bellingham of shouting "f*** you," whereas Bellingham claimed he had actually said "f*** off" in frustration rather than as a direct insult. Initially facing a potential 12-game ban under Spanish FA regulations, his suspension was reduced to two matches after the governing body ruled that his actions were "disrespectful/inconsiderate" rather than abusive.

2025–26: Shoulder surgery On 16 July 2025, Real Madrid confirmed that Bellingham had successfully undergone surgery to address a long-standing dislocation of his left shoulder, an issue he had battled since November 2023. According to reports, Bellingham was expected to be sidelined for approximately 10 to 12 weeks, missing the start of the 2025–26 La Liga season as well as the early stages of the UEFA Champions League group phase and aiming for an October return. However, Bellingham returned to action earlier, featuring in Madrid's 2–0 win over Espanyol on 20 September. On 22 October, he scored his first goal of the season, which turned out to be the winner in a 1–0 Champions League victory over Juventus. On 26 October, the following weekend, Bellingham scored his first La Liga goal of the season, which turned out to be the winner – his third match-winner against Barcelona in his Real Madrid career.

International career Youth career Bellingham was eligible to play for his native England and also for the Republic of Ireland, for which he qualified via a grandparent. He made his England under-15 debut against Turkey in December 2016. In recognition of his captaining that team during the 2017–18 season, he was presented with a Special Achievement Award at the 2018 Birmingham City Academy awards night. By the end of 2018 he had made his first appearance for the England under-16 team, and went on to feature in eleven games, score four goals, and captain the team. He was included in England's under-17 squad for the Syrenka Cup, a friendly tournament held in September 2019 in preparation for the 2020 European Championship qualifiers the following March. He made his debut as a substitute in England's opening match of the tournament, a 5–0 win over Finland in which he scored the third goal, and captained the team in their second fixture, in which they came back from a goal behind to beat Austria 4–2 and qualify for the final. Again, Bellingham scored the third goal. He retained the captaincy for the final, in which England beat hosts Poland on penalties following a 2–2 draw,

Bellingham received his first call-up to the under-21 squad for European Championship qualifiers against Kosovo and Austria in September 2020. He became the youngest player to appear for England U21 when he came on to replace Tom Davies after 62 minutes of the match against Kosovo on 4 September with England 3–0 ahead, and scored after 85 minutes to complete the 6–0 victory.

Senior career In November 2020, after James Ward-Prowse and Trent Alexander-Arnold withdrew through injury, Bellingham was called up to the England senior squad for the first time. He made his debut in a friendly match against the Republic of Ireland at Wembley on 12 November, replacing Mason Mount after 73 minutes of a 3–0 win.

UEFA Euro 2020 Bellingham was named in the England squad for the UEFA Euro 2020 tournament, which was delayed until 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. When he came on as an 82nd-minute substitute in England's opening match, a 1–0 win over Croatia at Wembley on 13 June, aged 17 years and 349 days, he became both the youngest Englishman to play at any major tournament and the youngest of any nationality to play at a European Championship; the latter record was broken by Poland's Kacper Kozłowski just six days later.

2022 FIFA World Cup

Bellingham scored his first senior international goal in England's 6–2 victory over Iran in their first game of the 2022 FIFA World Cup on 21 November. This made him the first person born in the 21st century to score in a World Cup, and the second youngest scorer for England at a World Cup, only behind Michael Owen. He also made the run and pass to Harry Kane who crossed for Raheem Sterling to score England's third goal, and played the through ball from which Callum Wilson set up their sixth for Jack Grealish. He followed this up during the last-16 game against Senegal with a run through the defence, assisting Jordan Henderson's goal in the 38th minute, and played a key role in Harry Kane's goal in first-half stoppage time, setting up Phil Foden to make the assist.

UEFA Euro 2024 Bellingham was named in England's 26-man squad for UEFA Euro 2024. His powerful header from Bukayo Saka's deflected cross gave England a 1–0 victory against Serbia, and he was named player of the match.

He scored with a 95th-minute overhead kick in the round of 16 against Slovakia to tie the scores at 1–1 and take the match into extra time. England won 2–1, and Bellingham was again named player of the match. After scoring the equaliser, Bellingham gestured towards the opposing substitutes' bench by grabbing his crotch, claiming it was an inside joke aimed at "some close friends". After an investigation, UEFA found he had "violat[ed] the basic rules of decent conduct", fined him €30,000 and imposed a one-match ban suspended for 12 months.

Bellingham played the full 120 minutes of the quarter-final against Switzerland, and scored the second kick of the penalty shootout which England won 5–3. England reached the final, in which they faced Spain, who took the lead shortly after half-time. Bellingham touched Saka's pass to Cole Palmer who equalised after 73 minutes, but Spain scored a late winner and England ended the tournament as runners-up.

2026 FIFA World Cup

On 22 May 2026, Bellingham was selected in the 26-man squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, making him the youngest European player to feature at four different major men's tournaments. He scored in England's opening match, a 4–2 victory over Croatia. A week later, on 23 June, he reached his 50th international appearance for England in a goalless draw against Ghana, becoming the youngest player to achieve this milestone at 22 years and 359 days, surpassing the previous record held by Wayne Rooney. In England's final group match on 27 June, Bellingham scored a goal and set up another in a 2–0 win over Panama, in which England topped their group and advance to the knock-out stages of the tournament. In the round of 16 match against host nation Mexico, Bellingham scored twice within two minutes as England won 3–2 to advance to the quarter-finals. He was named Man of the Match and became the youngest player to feature in ten World Cup matches at 23 years and six days, breaking previous record held by Mario Kempes. In the quarter-final game against Norway, he was again named Man of the Match after scoring a brace in England's 2–1 victory after extra time. Hence, Bellingham became the fifth player to score multiple goals in consecutive World Cup knockout matches, after Sándor Kocsis, Pelé, Garrincha, and Diego Maradona. He also became the second-youngest player to score two or more goals in consecutive FIFA World Cup knockout matches, behind Pelé in 1958. He was awarded the Bronze Boot as the third-highest scorer of the tournament.

Player profile Style of play Known for his exceptional control of the ball, his physicality, and his technical quality, Bellingham is often regarded as one of the best and most well-rounded midfielders in the world. He is praised for fulfilling multiple positions and his dynamic playing style, playing both exceptional defence and attack, described by The Analyst as a "do-it-all midfielder". He has been widely compared to the likes of Zinedine Zidane.

Following his move to Madrid in 2023, Bellingham took on a more advanced role in the midfield, often being positioned in the number 10 position as an attacking midfielder, or even as a false 9 or second striker on occasion. This change in position led to Bellingham adopting a more significant role in the final third and scoring goals: 10 in his first 10 matches for Madrid.

Outside football

In May 2024, Bellingham signed a multi-year deal with the sports drink, Lucozade, becoming the face of the brand's multi-million pound TV campaign. In June 2024, he appeared in Kim Kardashian's shapewear and clothing brand Skims' campaign; the photoshoot featured Bellingham modelling men's underwear. In July 2024, he was revealed as the cover star for the video game EA Sports FC 25. In the same month, Adidas launched Bellingham's first signature collection, featuring a jersey, tracksuit, ringer tee, and shorts, all adorned with the JB monogram logo. In August 2024, Louis Vuitton named him a "Friend of the House," announcing their partnership. In September 2024. Bellingham started his official channel on YouTube with a behind-the-scenes documentary about his first year in Spain. In December 2024, he appeared in Adidas' documentary film Under the Tongue.

In July 2025, Bellingham was revealed as one of the cover stars for EA Sports FC 26, along with Jamal Musiala and Zlatan Ibrahimović, for the second time. In September 2025, he was announced as a Laureus ambassador. In November 2025, Bellingham launched his own app, "JB5". In April 2026, he bought a minority stake in Birmingham Phoenix.

Personal life Since 2025, Bellingham has been in a relationship with Ashlyn Castro, an American social media influencer.

Career statistics Club

International

England score listed first, score column indicates score after each Bellingham goal

Honours

Borussia Dortmund DFB-Pokal: 2020–21

Real Madrid La Liga: 2023–24 Supercopa de España: 2024 UEFA Champions League: 2023–24 UEFA Super Cup: 2024 FIFA Intercontinental Cup: 2024

England U17 Syrenka Cup: 2019

England UEFA European Championship runner-up: 2020, 2024 FIFA World Cup third place: 2026

Individual England Men's Player of the Year: 2024–25 Birmingham City Under-15/16 Goal of the Season: 2018 Birmingham City Young Player of the Year: 2019–20 EFL Young Player of the Season: 2019–20 Championship Apprentice of the Year: 2019–20 Bundesliga Goal of the Month: October 2021 Bundesliga Team of the Season: 2021–22, 2022–23 VDV Bundesliga Newcomer of the Season: 2020–21 VDV Bundesliga Team of the Season: 2021–22, 2022–23 Kopa Trophy: 2023; runner-up: 2021 Goal NXGN: 2022 IFFHS Men's Youth (U20) World Team: 2021, 2022, 2023 IFFHS Men's World's Best Youth Player: 2022, 2023 IFFHS Men's World Team: 2023, 2024 IFFHS World's Best Playmaker: 2024 ESPN Midfielder of the Year: 2022–23 Bundesliga Player of the Season: 2022–23 VDV Bundesliga Player of the Season: 2022–23 Globe Soccer Awards Emerging Player of the Year: 2023 Globe Soccer Awards Midfielder of the Year: 2024 Globe Soccer Awards Maradona Award: 2024 FIFPRO World 11: 2023, 2024, 2025 FIFA Men's World 11: 2024, 2025 La Liga Player of the Month: August 2023, October 2023, December 2024 La Liga Player of the Season: 2023–24 La Liga Team of the Season: 2023–24, 2024–25 UEFA Champions League Team of the Season: 2023–24 UEFA Champions League Young Player of the Season: 2023–24 Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year: 2024 ESM Team of the Year: 2023–24 FIFA World Cup Bronze Boot: 2026