Who is Jude Bellingham? Biography, Early Life, Career, Stats, Awards, & Net Worth
Jude 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. Bellingham is widely recognised as one of the world’s top players due to his excellent work ethic, playmaking skills, interceptions, and quick dribbling.
He finished third in the 2024 FIFA Ballon d’Or election, establishing him as one of the best players of his time. He is also, as of August 2025, the third youngest player to have represented England in international football, following Theo Walcott and Wayne Rooney.
Jude Bellingham Biography
Jude Victor William Bellingham was born on June 29, 2003, in Stourbridge, in the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley, West Midlands, as the eldest son of Denise and Mark Bellingham. His mother is Kenyan, and his father is Irish. Until 2022, his father, Mark, was a sergeant in the West Midlands Police and a prolific goalscorer in non-league football.
Bellingham’s younger brother, Jobe, also plays football. Bellingham received private education at Priory School in Edgbaston, Birmingham. He grew up admiring Zinedine Zidane. Bellingham graduated from Loughborough College in 2021 with a BTEC Level 3 diploma in sport.
Jude Bellingham attended Birmingham’s Priory School, a private institution with a full-size football pitch. Growing up, he admired English footballers Wayne Rooney and Steven Gerrard, as well as French footballer Zinedine Zidane.
He continued his education while playing football, earning a BTEC (Business and Technology Education Council) diploma in Sport in 2021 from Loughborough College in the United Kingdom.
Career
Bellingham made his Birmingham City debut on August 6, 2019, becoming the club’s youngest player ever, a record that remains until August 2025. He was only 16 years and 38 days old, 101 days younger than English player Trevor Francis, who had held the record since 1970.
Football analysts commended Bellingham for his poise on the pitch and close ball control during the team’s 3-0 loss against Portsmouth FC. Bellingham scored his first Premier League goal less than a month after making his debut, in a 2-1 victory over Stoke City. As of August 2025, he is Birmingham City’s youngest-ever goal scorer.
He went on to score four goals in 44 games for the club and was named the English Football League’s (EFL) Young Player of the Month in November 2019. At the conclusion of the 2019-20 season, he was named EA Sports Young Player of the Season and LFE (League Football Education) Championship Apprentice of the Year.
Bellingham joined German club Borussia Dortmund for £25 million (about $32 million) at the start of the 2020–2021 season. On September 14, 2020, in his debut match for the club, he scored against MSV Duisburg in the DFB-Pokal knockout game (also known as the German Cup).
He was named the Bundesliga’s Rookie of the Month in September 2020. The following month, he made his UEFA Champions League debut against the Italian team Lazio. Bellingham scored 24 goals and had 25 assists in 132 games with Dortmund, but his only title was the German Cup in 2020-21.
He was selected as the Bundesliga Player of the Season for 2022-23. Bellingham was signed by Spanish club Real Madrid in June 2023 for £88.5 million (approximately $113 million at the time). He made an immediate impact, scoring four goals and an assist in his first three games for the club.
In August 2023, he became the first English player to win the La Liga Player of the Month award. His brace (two goals) in an October 2023 victory over archrivals FC Barcelona received accolades from then-Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti.
Bellingham had 14 goals in his first 15 outings for Real Madrid. In November 2023, he sustained a dislocated shoulder, which ended his spectacular start. He returned to the pitch only a few weeks after being wounded and played while wearing shoulder protection.
In his debut season with Real Madrid, he won La Liga, the UEFA Champions League, and the Spanish Super Cup. Bellingham also won three individual awards: the Laureus World Sports Breakthrough of the Year, the La Liga Player of the Season, and the Champions League Young Player of the Season.
He ranked third in the 2024 Ballon d’Or vote, trailing only Manchester City’s Rodri and Real Madrid’s Vinícius Júnior. In December 2024, he finished third in the voting for the Best FIFA Men’s Player, behind Vinícius Júnior and Rodri. In his second season at Real Madrid, he helped the club win the UEFA Super Cup and was selected for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup.
However, his shoulder ailment remained a source of concern. On July 16, 2025, Real Madrid revealed that Bellingham had successfully undergone surgery to treat a long-standing dislocation of his left shoulder, which he had been dealing with since November 2023.
Bellingham was projected to be out for 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 stage, with a comeback in October.
However, Bellingham returned to action earlier, playing in Madrid’s 2-0 victory over Espanyol on September 20. On October 22, he scored his first goal of the season, which proved to be the game-winner in a 1-0 Champions League victory over Juventus.
The following weekend, on October 26, Bellingham scored his first La Liga goal of the season, which proved to be the winning goal – his third versus Barcelona in his Real Madrid career.
International Career
Bellingham made his Under-15 debut for England against Turkey in December 2016, at the age of 13. He had one goal in eight appearances for the team. In July 2018, just after his 15th birthday, he was selected for the U16 team to play against Croatia.
In September 2019, he played for the U17 side, and in September 2020, he became the youngest player to make his England U21 men’s team debut, a record that remains until September 2025.
Bellingham made his senior international debut for England against Ireland on November 12, 2020. He was a member of the squad that advanced to the 2020 Euro Championship finals before losing to Italy on penalties.
He scored his first international goal against Iran in a 2022 FIFA World Cup group match, and England lost to France in the tournament’s quarterfinals. Bellingham scored two goals for England during their Euro 2024 campaign and assisted on the team’s only goal in the final, a 2-1 loss to Spain.
Jude Bellingham Net Worth
Jude Bellingham’s net worth is estimated at $50 million. He has had a successful football career, winning both the Golden Boy and the Kopa Trophy. His current deal with Real Madrid is worth roughly €103 million, and he gets around €25 million each year from the club.
Social Media
Instagram: @judebellingham
