Jude Bellingham’s thanks to Birmingham City began his stratospheric rise

Next month will mark five years since Jude Bellingham signed his first scholarship with Birmingham City. At a time when the likes of Arsenal were known to be interested in recruiting the teenager, who was causing a stir within the walls of Wast Hills and beyond, Bellingham committed to developing with his boyhood club the Blues at the age of 16.

While that two-year scholarship could have led to a senior deal for many much further down the line, for Bellingham his first-team career began that summer. He started in the 3-0 EFL Cup defeat at Portsmouth, becoming the club’s youngest player in its history, and despite the result and his tender years, Bellingham stood out from his more experienced colleagues.

The rest is history. Pep Clotet gave Bellingham a chance in the Championship and scored winners against Stoke City and Charlton Athletic. By the end of the campaign, even behind closed doors, he was influencing games and completed his move to Borussia Dortmund for a significant fee, ensuring the Blues would benefit from signing his first senior contract.

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An Instagram post from Bellingham 256 weeks ago marked the signing of the first scholarship agreement being signed. The photo was of Bellingham in a three-piece suit and sitting at a table accompanied by the Blues top he would wear and a football, pen in hand and a proud smile on his face.

“Delighted to have signed my scholarship at Birmingham City,” he wrote. “Thank you so much to my family, teammates and staff members who have done so much to get me this far. The hard work continues. @bcfc #KRO.”

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