Jobe Bellingham has received acclaim from Sunderland boss Tony Mowbray, while older brother Jude has been a revelation for Real Madrid.
Elder Bellingham makes an impression in Madrid
Sunderland’s younger sibling is turning heads.
Expected to have a successful career
WHAT OCCURED? Since then, the younger Bellingham brother has become a regular for Sunderland, and Mowbray spoke at length on the 18-year-old’s attitude, mentality, and potential ahead of Saturday’s match against Middlesbrough.
WHAT THEY SAID: “He is very mature for his age. He acts like a seasoned pro, and demands standards. Even in small-sided games, he wants to win,” Mowbray said at a press conference. “You can see he has a very focused, driven thought pattern on where he is going and how he is going to get there. And that is to try to be excellent in everything you do. It’s a great mentality. He is not in the team because of his name, it is football ability and his competitive edge and athleticism and technique.
“He works hard every day. As coaches we want to protect him in three-game weeks so sometimes when he comes off it is to give him a break. We should just enjoy the journey with him and see where he gets to as time rolls on. He doesn’t want to be
compared with his brother, but we have coaches here who helped his brother as a 17/18-year-old. They can gauge where he is, and he has some amazing tools. If he listens, works hard and competes like he does he won’t go far wrong. He has confidence, belief and has a good football brain.”
THE BIGGER PICTURE: Jobe was 17 when he joined Sunderland from Birmingham in the summer, whereas Jude moved to Real Madrid from Borussia Dortmund in the same window for up to €134 million (£116 million/$142 million). To avoid his older brother’s extended shadow, the younger brother wears ‘Jobe’ rather than ‘Bellingham’ on the back of his shirt. This season, Jude has 10 goals and three assists in 10 games for Real Madrid.
WHAT COMES NEXT FOR JOBE? During the October international break, the kid will be part of England’s Under-19 side, which will face Montenegro, Wales, and Austria in European Championship qualifiers. Sunderland then faces Stoke, Leicester, and Norwich in the Championship before the end of the month.
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