It may be a surprise to some but Jobe Bellingham’s call-up to the England senior side has been a long time coming.
The 21-year-old’s career path has been very similar to that of his 23-year-old brother Jude – England’s star player at the World Cup and one of Real Madrid’s best players. Both were stars of the Birmingham City academy before big-money moves to the German Bundesliga and England call-ups.
Jobe’s debut for Birmingham came at the age of 16 years and 107 days – 69 days older than Jude when he made his first appearance for the Blues’ senior side.
The central midfielder then moved to Sunderland and helped them win promotion to the Premier League before joining German side Borussia Dortmund at the age of 19 in a deal worth up to £31m.
Jude also moved to Dortmund when he was 17, before developing into one of the world’s best players and joining Real Madrid.
Having one of the best midfielders in the world as your older brother comes with challenges and Jobe has consistently been compared to his sibling.
But the former Sunderland midfielder is his own player, wearing ‘Jobe’ on the back of his shirt instead of his family name. He said it was suggested to him by a former coach because “it shows that I’m going my own way”.
England manager Thomas Tuchel told BBC Radio 5 Live it is “a beautiful story”.
“They are both good for each other,” he added. “My understanding is they are very close.
“It makes life easier for Jobe to come into camp and know his brother is one of the key players in our team. So, that will hopefully help him, but don’t forget he is here on his own merits, and he is not here because of his brother.”
Jobe is a different type of player to Jude, sitting deeper in the midfield, but is as physically imposing while still being good on the ball.
He is the current captain of the England Under-21 side, and Tuchel said Young Lions head coach Lee Carsley had been pushing for some time for the younger Bellingham to get senior recognition.
“He’s the standout player,” said Tuchel. “He’s the captain, so the door should always be open for the pathway, always be open for special performances over a long period of time.
“That’s what Jobe has done on top of it. He found his way, he found his rhythm with Dortmund. He’s had an excellent start to his season, is a regular starter and influential.”