Bellingham - the England hero who 'writes his own scripts'

Jude Bellingham's singular emergence continued arsenic he netted England's victor successful their Euro 2024 opener against Serbia - pinch leader Gareth Southgate declaring him a subordinate who "writes his ain scripts".

The 20-year-old from Stourbridge adjacent Birmingham, who plays for Real Madrid, is nan first European subordinate to make an quality astatine 3 awesome world tournaments earlier turning 21.

He has scored astatine 2 of nan tournaments, too, having recovered nan nett against Iran astatine nan 2022 World Cup.

His 13th-minute header successful Gelsenkirchen connected Sunday ended up being nan only extremity of nan game.

"I americium consenting to do immoderate it takes and americium fresh to do everything to thief nan state triumph this shot tournament," said Bellingham afterwards.

BBC pundit Micah Richards, a erstwhile England international, said: "He's taken nan crippled by nan scruff of nan cervix and this is what you need.

"His composure is remarkable. He's nan leader successful this squad astatine specified a young property and he knows it. He's sewage a awesome attitude, he's sewage everything. I'm moving retired of superlatives for him. He manages nan crippled really well.

"If he tin support that shape passim nan tourney past he is nan man we tin trust on."

It was small wonderment he was voted man of nan match by visitors to nan BBC Sport website.

After a play erstwhile he won nan Spanish title and Champions League pinch his nine side, Bellingham is nan 2nd favourite to triumph this year's Ballon d'Or grant - nan prize that goes to nan subordinate voted nan world's best.

If England triumph Euro 2024, he could good transportation disconnected that award.

"He's travel retired coming pinch nan cognition knowing it's his game," said erstwhile England centre-back Rio Ferdinand connected BBC One.

"He's said 'guys, this is my crippled and I americium him'. That's nan vibe he's fixed maine pinch really he's gesturing. You person to bask your awesome players."

Bellingham near nan transportation to a opinionated ovation from nan travelling England fans precocious on.

"Jude Bellingham is made up of astonishing people," Bellingham said. "It's not conscionable me. It's because I person specified a awesome support web - my family, my friends, my team-mates. Playing shot is nan easiest part.

"I person sewage utilized to getting into nan box, getting wide and trying to do that. I sewage into that wont astatine Madrid and I wanted to transportation my shape into nan Euros. It's a awesome commencement for maine personally to get my assurance up, and to thief nan lads get nan triumph is nan astir important thing."

Bellingham started playing shot astatine astir nan property of 4 years aged - but was "not really interested" initially, according to his first coach.

Phil Wooldridge told nan BBC successful 2022 that "it wasn't conscionable overnight, it was a matter of a fewer months" for Bellingham to get into nan game.

Bellingham went connected to subordinate a children's squad group up by his dada Mark, a erstwhile non-league footballer, and Wooldridge - Stourbridge Juniors.

"The only portion I had successful his improvement of shot was conscionable fundamentally getting him to effort and bask it," said Wooldridge.

At nan property of only seven, Bellingham joined nan academy of Birmingham City.

Bellingham would walk a decade pinch his boyhood nine Birmingham - pinch 1 play successful nan first team.

Their academy coaches wanted his crippled to person parts of a protect midfielder (traditionally a number four), a box-to-box subordinate (number eight) and a imaginative subordinate (number 10). Those numbers adhd up to 22, which was to go his Birmingham garment number.

Mike Dodds was 1 of Bellingham's coaches successful nan Blues academy and said: "He was my champion coach educator, because if he wasn't happy pinch a session, if he wasn't happy pinch nan benignant of way that his improvement was going, he would beryllium nan first personification to fto maine cognize his thoughts."

Dodds, who vanished past play arsenic Sunderland's caretaker manager, added: "He's conscionable a magnificent quality being."

Former Birmingham left-back Paul Robinson besides coached Bellingham astatine St Andrew's and told BBC Sport really he watched Bellingham successful his mid-teens "being capable to get connected nan shot and dictate games pinch his value of passing".

"I've ne'er seen personification truthful young beryllium truthful intelligent successful position of knowing nan game," Robinson said.

Bellingham became nan youngest elder Birmingham City subordinate ever astatine nan property of 16 years and 38 days.

He made 41 appearances successful nan Championship and scored 4 goals.

But Birmingham knew he was destined for overmuch greater things and aft 1 play successful nan first team, he was sold to Borussia Dortmund for £25m successful nan summertime of 2020.

His effect was truthful awesome that Birmingham retired nan number 22 shirt, nan benignant of motion usually saved for nan biggest legends of clubs. That move was hugely bullied astatine nan time, but it soon began to make immoderate sense.

Bellingham moved to Germany astatine nan property of 17 aft conscionable 1 run of second-tier shot successful England.

But he instantly impressed astatine a nine celebrated for processing young talent.

"He was very confident," erstwhile Dortmund goalkeeper Roman Burki said. "You could spot from nan first training he was not awkward of going into duels and showing his qualities and his mentality.

"He gained acquisition really accelerated because he played almost each game. I deliberation he improved successful his decision-making and besides successful his characteristic a small bit."

Bellingham started disconnected playing pinch a akin protect midfield work to nan 1 he had astatine Birmingham but yet started playing much of a box-to-box role.

His 3 years successful Germany yielded 24 goals successful 132 games - pinch 14 of those goals coming successful his last season.

He moreover admitted earlier a Champions League lucifer against Manchester City, successful which he scored: "I deliberation each of it has been a spot of a surprise. I didn't deliberation I'd person nan effect rather for illustration I have."

Bellingham's power connected Dortmund tin beryllium demonstrated successful 2 different ways excessively - he became their youngest ever skipper successful a crippled successful October 2022, astatine nan property of 19, and they mislaid nan title without him.

They conscionable needed to hit Mainz connected nan last time of nan 2022-23 run to triumph their first title successful 11 years, but Bellingham, who was named nan Bundesliga's subordinate of nan season, missed retired pinch a knee wounded and they drew 2-2.

He was pictured successful tears arsenic he near nan transportation for nan last clip arsenic a Dortmund subordinate - because he had different large move to come.

Bellingham joined arguably nan biggest nine successful nan world, Real Madrid, past summer, for a immense interest of £88.5m - and yet that has looked for illustration a bargain.

Expectations were evidently precocious for a subordinate pinch immense committedness and a large value tag - but he exceeded each of them pinch a goal-laden trophy-winning campaign.

Playing successful a much precocious domiciled for Real - arsenic a number 10 aliases centre guardant - he ended nan play arsenic their apical scorer - and apical assister.

Bellingham scored 23 times and created 11 goals for team-mates successful 39 games for nan club.

Some of them were immense goals too. Remarkably he scored a last-minute victor successful El Clasico, against their arch-rivals Barcelona... twice.

He netted twice, including a stoppage-time winner, successful Real's 2-1 triumph astatine Barcelona successful October, and past struck successful nan last infinitesimal astatine nan Bernabeu successful April.

In January, Real leader Carlo Ancelotti said Bellingham was "obviously nan best" subordinate successful nan world "bearing successful mind that he's had to accommodate to our club, to a caller civilization and language".

He was named La Liga’s subordinate of nan play and won nan 2024 Laureus World Sports Breakthrough of nan Year for immoderate sport.

Real Madrid cruised to nan La Liga title, by 10 points, and won nan Champions League last - against Dortmund of each teams - astatine Wembley.

"When he near us, I said nan aforesaid point I said to [Manchester City striker] Erling Haaland – I was proud to beryllium their manager," said Dortmund leader Edin Terzic - who precocious near his station - aft that game.

"It’s his first Champions League triumph and it’s a proud infinitesimal for him."

What likelihood location will beryllium much to come?

After each that nine success, it has go evident that Bellingham, astatine nan property of 20, is already 1 of England's cardinal players. Perhaps nan cardinal subordinate for his country.

"I person ne'er seen anyone truthful mature for his age," Three Lions team-mate Phil Foden told nan Daily Mail successful April.

"I consciousness he’s sewage a gift from God pinch his physique."

Bellingham has already played astatine nan delayed Euro 2020, wherever England mislaid nan last to Wembley connected penalties, nan 2022 World Cup and now Euro 2024.

Two of his 4 goals successful 30 caps person been astatine awesome tournaments.

He is nan 2nd subordinate to people astatine nan World Cup and Euros earlier turning 21, aft Michael Owen - who incidentally is nan past English subordinate to triumph nan Ballon d'Or.

Former Spain midfielder Cesc Fabregas, watching nan triumph complete Serbia for nan BBC, said: "The determination, nan belief that he gives nan team...

"When you person players for illustration this and you are crossing nan ball, you cognize he's going to beryllium there. He is your guy."