Jude Bellingham's recent meteoric ascent has made him a desired target for some of the major football teams and a significant player for England and Borussia Dortmund.
Several Europe's elite clubs are prepared to compete for the midfielder, valued at £110 million, making the summer for the player a fascinating one.
Bellingham, who is only 19 years old, was one of England's standout players at the 2018 World Cup. As he gets ready to don the Three Lions jersey again, BBC Sport charts Bellingham's journey from a lowly student at Birmingham to one of the game's most sought-after prospects.
When He Left Birmingham, He Sobbed.
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The Championship team received jeers for retiring the teenager's shirt number, despite having played one complete season of professional football in 2020, when Bellingham departed the Blues for Borussia Dortmund for £25 million, making him the most expensive 17-year-old in football history.
However, the talent he is showcasing for the world and his humble demeanour is exactly why he was so well-liked at the Blues. According to football writer Guillem Balague, "He cried because he didn't want to leave Birmingham City."
But he has overcome his comfort zone and become a really at-ease young guy.
He Had No Interest In Watching Football.
For someone with such extraordinary talent, he was always meant to play football. But Bellingham wasn't much into the sport when he was a kid.
Bellingham's first coach, Phil Wooldridge, recalled meeting him when he was four. He told the BBC, "As soon as you placed a football in front of him, (he was) not interested."
It didn't happen fast; it took him a few months to become interested in football.
Yet, once Bellingham's strategy worked, there was no stopping him. His love for the game increased, and Wooldridge and Bellingham's father founded a team named Stourbridge Juniors, with which he went on to play frequently. He would tell his instructors and classmates at his school that he would play for England one day.
When he was seven years old, he joined Birmingham City after catching the attention of several nearby professional teams. Bellingham attributes this to the coach who helped him become the player and person he is now.
Bellingham's development under Mike Dodds, who is currently a first-team coach at Sunderland, was crucial in paving the way for his professional debut at 16.
"He was my finest coach educator because", according to Dodds, "he would be the first person to let me know his thoughts if he wasn't happy with a session or the direction that his progress was heading."
Bellingham continued to thrive rather than feeling intimidated by the huge stage the Bundesliga giants gave. In October of last year, He made history by becoming Dortmund's youngest captain at 19.
Bellingham has introduced goals as an additional layer this season. Never in a season did he have more than six goals. Neither of his first two seasons at Dortmund, but he has ten this campaign, including one against Manchester City in the Champions League in September.
In the competition's quarterfinals two years prior, Bellingham also scored against Pep Guardiola's team. Although Dortmund was eliminated, Owen Hargreaves, a former player for Manchester United, was working as a TV analyst for that match, stated Bellingham stood out above all others. He added, "The youngster is a true diamond.
If anyone was still in the dark about Bellingham's skill, his performances at his first World Cup, where even his teammates could not downplay his talent, should have made them aware.
"I don't want to build him up too much because he is still young. Still, Bellingham is one of the most gifted players I have ever seen, remarked Manchester City and England midfielder Phil Foden of Bellingham after another outstanding performance in the 3-0 last-16 victory over Senega"l.
"He plays without any weaknesses. He is going to be the best midfielder in the world", in my opinion".
Few people would disagree with Foden's opinion since Bellingham has been linked to many of Europe's top teams this summer.
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