Bellingham became their youngest-ever player when he joined his boyhood club at the age of seven. He advanced quickly through Birmingham City’s academy and made his first-team debut at the age of sixteen and forty-eight days.
He spent one complete season with Birmingham, appearing in 41 Championship games and tallying four goals, before agreeing to a £25 million deal to join Borussia Dortmund in the summer of 2020.
Birmingham retired the number 22 shirt the teenager had worn after making a breakthrough when he left. He would don the same number once more in Germany, and it held special significance for the midfield player’s growth.
Bellingham’s game was supposed to have aspects of a defensive midfielder (often a number four in English football), a box-to-box player, as he worked with Birmingham’s young coaches.
Bellingham benefited greatly from this adaptability when he made his breakthrough as a senior at St Andrew’s.
Former Birmingham left-back Paul Robinson, who coached the young Bellingham at the club, says BBC Sport, “When he went to the first team at Birmingham, he played wide.”
“He made wide left and right plays. He had the potential to play a variety of positions higher up the field as he developed. Jude’s intelligence always allowed him to be able to do that.”
