FourFourTwo December 2021 3902
JUDE BELLInGHAM
Age 18 Club Borussia Dortmund
Nationality English
Position Central midfielderTime seems to move at a different pace for
Jude Bellingham. When FourFourTwo caught
up with the prodigy in January, the teenager
said his England career was “not something
to rush”, having only recently made his
international debut. He wasn’t even old
enough to buy a pint.
Fast-forward six months and the classy
wunderkind was playing in the quarter-finals
of Euro 2020 – his third appearance of the
tournament where the Three Lions would
finish as runners-up. Turns out snubbing
Manchester United hadn’t done much harm.
“Had Jude opted to join a big Premier
League team instead of Borussia Dortmund,
I don’t believe it would have been possible toplay for England at the Euros,” explains Sven
Westerschulze, chief Dortmund reporter
at Bild. “He might not have been given the
playing time he needed.”
That had been the biggest factor behind
Bellingham’s decision to swap Birmingham
for the Bundesliga a year earlier – and with
good reason. The youngster anchored BVB’s
midfield 45 times in his debut campaign,
including 10 Champions League outings.
He dazzled in April’s quarter-final defeat to
Manchester City, scoring in the second leg
as part of a terrific all-round display. “I can’t
believe he’s 17 – maybe he’s a liar,” cheered
Pep Guardiola. “He’s a fantastic player.”
Having watched Bellingham regularly
dominate play in the Bundesliga, though,
Westerschulze remains blasé about that
Man City showing.
“Jude brings dynamism, energy and
aggression to Dortmund’s game,” he says.
“He doesn’t always take the easy option,
unlike some of the other midfielders in
the team. He makes Dortmund play more
vertically, and that’s why the club and the
fans love him. He has the mentality to thrive22 FOR
2022Is there anything that Jude
Bellingham can’t do? Already
thriving before adding goals
to his game, just think how
much BVB fans love him now“THE SKY’S THE LIMIT. HE
HAS ALL THE InGREDIEnTS
TO BECOME OnE OF THE
WORLD’S BEST PLAYERS”
JUDE THE
ADORED
Words Ed McCambridge
in the big games – the better the opposition,
the better he seems to play. That speaks
volumes of his character.”
BVB have quickly adopted him as one of
their own. The teenager’s tone-deaf karaoke
initiation – Ne-Yo’s So Sick, for those curious- literally had his team-mates rolling on the
floor in their canteen, while Dortmund’s
YouTube channel is littered with videos of
him taking on German language quizzes
(“‘Weichei?!’ Oh my god, that sounds so
German”) and showing a curiosity for all
things Deutschland. It won’t be long before
does interviews in a second language.
Bellingham turned 18 in June, but it speaks
volumes of a precocious mentality which has
resulted in him being lauded by coaches and
team-mates alike – not least midfield partner
Axel Witsel, who the youngster jokingly
dubbed “the perfect Championship player”
in his January interview with FFT.
“Axel is the perfect role model for Jude,”
says Westerschulze. “He leads, speaks to
and encourages the young players; he tells
them when to push forward and when to
drop. Jude has already improved a lot as
a footballer thanks to that guidance.”
In particular, BVB supporters have seen
Bellingham’s attacking game hit new heights.
The teenager finished last term with four
goals and four assists in all competitions, but
had scorched beyond those numbers before
the end of October. A glorious solo goal
against Arminia Bielefeld, weaving past
three befuddled defenders before chipping
the goalkeeper, showed off his composure.
“He’s getting into the box more – scoring
goals and laying them on for others too,”
explains Westerschulze. “He is more robust
as well and that has a lot to do with growing
up. He doesn’t get pushed off the ball, and
he’s stronger in the tackle.”
Bellingham’s physical development is being
closely monitored, mind – Gareth Southgate
left him out of his squad for the October
internationals to protect the youngster’s
workload. Still, 2022 brings another major
tournament where Bellingham is certain to
feature if fit, not to mention transfer chatter
that’s already in full flow when it comes to
clubs with a spare £100m lying around.
“The sky is the limit,” Westerschulze
enthuses of a player he expects to stay at
Dortmund for a few seasons yet. “Jude has
all the ingredients to become one of the
world’s best players because he has the
talent and the personality. Technical ability
and the right mentality are crucial – very few
players have both in the same quantities.”
‘Weichei’ means weakling, by the way. It’s
no wonder he’d never heard of it...