Brummie kid who could be one of England’s best ever. And if you’re looking for omens his dad’s police number

Jude Bellingham is taking the world by storm, just like he always expected he would

WHEN Mark Bellingham received a text from a friend to congratulate him on how well his son Jude had performed in England’s opening World Cup game against Iran, his reply was short and to the point: ‘It’s a long tournament.’

Such is the mindset of the former police sergeant and legendary nonLeague striker of 700 goals, the same as the one passed down to his superstar son: never get too far ahead of yourself.

Only days later, Jude was substituted before the end of the goalless draw against the United States after an innocuous performance. There were even rumours he might not start against Wales.

Gareth Southgate did start him and, like the generational talent so many believe him to be, he dominated the game alongside Declan Rice and Jordan Henderson in England’s midfield.

Gary Lineker compared him to Manchester United legend Bryan Robson and could hardly stifle his amazement at Bellingham’s performance.

Bellingham will start against Senegal tonight for a place in the quarter-finals. If you’re superstitious, or someone who enjoys clinging to good omens at times like these, you’ll take great heart in knowing that Mark Bellingham’s police collar number was 1966.

SPEAK to those who know Jude Bellingham best and they all talk about maturity. Not just in the way he plays, like a man at ease with his place on the world stage, but in the way he talks and the way he conducts himself. Listen to his postmatch interviews and it’s easy to forget he’s still a teenager.

But they also talk of a relentless desire to improve, unforgiving standards and a determination to be the best in the world.

‘He will not just want to win the World Cup but also be the best player at the tournament,’ Mike Dodds, Bellingham’s former coach at Birmingham City and close friend, tells The Mail on Sunday. ‘That’s his mentality. He doesn’t want to be the same as everyone else.

‘He went to the Euros as a 17-year-old. Everyone said it would be a great experience for him. He didn’t go to the Euros thinking this is a great experience, he went with the sole ambition to play every minute at the championship.’

Bellingham makes it clear when those standards are not met. He’s a rookie in Qatar but there’s already been moments when he has flung his arms up in frustration at a team-mate not spotting his run. Reports in Germany say Bellingham’s body language is annoying his team-mates and there’s that viral clip of him screaming ‘You’re f**king s**t’ at Borussia Dortmund left-back Nico Schulz for a misplaced pass.

Even Southgate admits Bellingham’s competitive nature pushes the boundaries.

‘He’s got tremendous maturity for his age in how he works, trains and how he speaks,’ says Southgate. ‘He competes — and that’s the thing we love about him more than anything else. That has a line and, at times, there will be undoubtedly be moments when that’s crossed. But he’s a very exciting player.

‘He went to the Euros — we think it was good experience — and he wanted to play more. We’re thinking for a 17, 18-year-old it’s a really good transition. His mentality is, “No, I want to start, take corners, captain the team”.’

It’s always been that way. ‘He was someone who always wanted to be stretched,’ says Dodds. ‘If he wasn’t, he’d let you know. Some might have viewed him as difficult, but I didn’t. I saw a talented young man who was striving for more. He has taught me more about my own coaching than anyone else.

‘It wasn’t always easy. I witnessed the struggles, I witnessed the disagreements. There would be times he’d get in the car and tell his mum he never wanted to speak to me again. When I first met Jude, he was in the Under-7s. He was very good, obviously, but he wasn’t this mercurial, generational talent that people label him now. He wasn’t completely in love with the game.’

Bellingham was seven years old when Simon Jones scouted him playing for Stourbridge on a council-run park in Edgbaston with a small plastic goal at either end of a pitch marked out with cones.

‘The thing I remember vividly was how he picked the ball up off the goalkeeper and dribbled past every single opponent,’ Jones tells The Mail on Sunday. ‘It was ridiculous. He was just leaps and bounds ahead of the other boys. His game intelligence was way ahead. He took the ball on the half-turn, played forward and was just completely different.’

As it does now, what set the young

Bellingham apart

— as well as on the pitch — was his maturity off it. ‘I remember a few years ago, we had our Under-9 boys’ presentation but because of Covid we had to do it online,’ adds Jones. ‘We showed them clips of Jude when he was in the academy. I’d forgotten how good he was even then.

‘I messaged him to say I was watching the clips and he replied to ask why. When I told him, he said he wanted to come on and surprise the kids. It was a Friday night and he had a game the next day. When he flipped his camera on, the boys were so excited.

‘He was so good with the young

Hey Jude, you can make it better . . .

ones. He never forgot where he came from. He always had time for them. What I used to love was when we had triallists at Birmingham, he would come down and give feedback. If he thought he was decent, he would tell you. If he didn’t, he’d tell you. One boy came in and he said, “Sign him . . . I want to play with him, he can fizz a ball in to my feet”.’

Jones, too, would always be on hand when Bellingham’s desire to be pushed spilled over.

‘There were times he’d go for Doddsy, they’d bump heads, and he’d come into me. We’d navigate those speed bumps. He was bright enough to realise we were all working to give him the best platform. I’m considerably older than him. He does try to keep me current. He will always have a bit of a joke at my expense with what I’m wearing!’

There’s a reason Bellingham always wears shirt No 22. Dodds told a young Bellingham that he could be the complete midfielder. He could have the attributes of a defensive powerhouse No 4, a boxto-box No 8 and a creative No 10. Add them together and you get the total package: 22.

‘I remember sitting down with him and I said, “I think you could be one of the first 22s this country has ever produced”,’ Dodds adds. ‘And I know that’s a huge statement. England have had some magnificent midfield players over the years like Bryan Robson, Steven Gerrard and Paul Gascoigne who would fit that mould. His eyes lit up.’

He’s showing all of those capabilities on the world’s grandest stage. Not only has he scored in Qatar, but he’s also made the most tackles for England alongside Kieran Trippier, he’s made the most presses, he’s made the second-most blocks after midfield partner Declan Rice, who is also the only England player to cover more distance at the World Cup. No one, though, has produced as many sprints as Bellingham. He’s sprinted 50 times more often than any other team-mate.

Jude’s father Mark scored more than 700 goals in a glittering nonLeague career for the likes of Halesowen Town, Leamington and Stourbridge.

Jim Scott is chairman of Leamington, where Mark scored 79 goals in 87 appearances. He also managed Mark earlier in his career for the West Midlands Police side. ‘He was a goal machine,’ Scott says. ‘He had an insatiable appetite to put the ball in the net. If he hadn’t been a policeman, I think there’s every chance he could have played in the Football League.’

They may play in different positions, but the similarities between father and son are clear to see to those who know them.

‘Mark was always mature and knew his own mind. I can see that in Jude,’ adds Scott. ‘Jude’s greatest asset is that you can see his maturity and hunger and desire to improve. He is such a down-toearth lad but has fantastic selfbelief. He knows what he wants to do with his journey.

‘Mark scoring 700 goals into his 40s showed his desire and hunger. And Jude just has that in a different way.

‘I messaged Mark after the first game against Iran to say how well Jude had played. He replied: ‘It’s a long tournament.’ His and Jude’s mentality is never to get ahead of himself. He’s still a young player and hasn’t had any bad press. It will happen one day. How will he handle it? I suspect, coming from such a level-headed family, he will handle it with no bother when it comes.’

Jude grew up watching his dad, the man he calls his very first footballing hero. He stood on the touchline, even in the dug-out, to watch his old man bang them in off the lampshades.

Mark was playing for Paget Rangers in Sutton Coldfield back in 2016 when he scored his 700th goal at the age of 40.

The 15-year-old Jude and his younger brother Jobe would warm up the Paget Rangers goalkeeper before the games.

‘It’s an old cliché but I suppose you could probably see it back then, the way they struck the balls,’ Tony Bradley, the club president, tells The Mail on Sunday. ‘I think the goalkeepers were glad for a rest by the end!’

Mark scored his 700th goal with a free-kick at Fairfield Villa in Bromsgrove. Jude was in the dugout that day and Paget Rangers got hit with a fine because he wasn’t 16.

‘Needless to say we haven’t gone looking for Jude to pay that fine off just yet,’ laughs Bradley. ‘Back then, no one knew who he was.’

They do now. The world knows Jude Bellingham.