Tag: Jude Bellingham

Jude Bellingham has expanded his sporting footprint beyond football by acquiring a minority stake in The Hundred franchise Birmingham Phoenix, marking a notable crossover investment into cricket from one of England’s biggest stars.

The Real Madrid midfielder, who was born in Stourbridge and raised in Birmingham, has purchased a 1.2% share in the franchise.

The stake has been split evenly between Warwickshire County Cricket Club and Knighthead Capital Management, the latter already a major investor in the team and owner of Birmingham City FC.

Warwickshire continue to hold majority control of the franchise with 50.4% ownership, while Knighthead’s share now stands at 48.4%.

The move further strengthens the Phoenix’s local identity, with Bellingham becoming one of the most high-profile athletes to invest in The Hundred.

Despite his global football commitments, the 22-year-old has never hidden his affection for cricket. Having played junior cricket at Hagley Cricket Club during his teenage years, Bellingham has often spoken about his admiration for the sport, even once naming Ben Stokes as the athlete he would swap careers with for a day.

Speaking after the investment was confirmed, Jude Bellingham underlined his emotional connection to the city and his desire to give back.

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“I love Birmingham. I’m very grateful for what the whole city of Birmingham has done for me. I love cricket as well, so when I got the opportunity to get involved, I didn’t really think twice about it, so I’m so happy to be on board,” he said.

“I’m so grateful to Birmingham, the Stourbridge area and the West Midlands as a whole. I got the best upbringing into football, into life through Birmingham City. I feel like I owe the city something. Right now, it’s difficult with how busy I am with football, but if there’s a way in which I can help then I want to and this feels like a good way.”

Beyond the financial aspect, his role is expected to extend into community engagement and social initiatives.

Warwickshire highlighted that Bellingham will contribute to projects aimed at increasing sports participation across Birmingham, particularly among young people.

“I think it’s so important to get kids out there playing sports. I think it’s crucial and the opportunity of me being a part of Birmingham Phoenix is to try and help people realise there’s different avenues,” he added.

“Some people will enjoy football, some will enjoy cricket — it’s about creating opportunities.”

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Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham is expected to miss the club’s upcoming Champions League play-off matches against Benfica after suffering a hamstring injury on Sunday.

“Following tests carried out today on our player Jude Bellingham by Real Madrid’s medical services, he has been diagnosed with an injury to the semitendinosus muscle in his left leg,” said Los Blancos in a statement, without specifying the length of his expected absence.

Spanish media reported the 22-year-old England international could miss around a month after he went off hurt in the opening stages of the 2-1 La Liga win over Rayo Vallecano.

As well as the play-off games against Jose Mourinho’s Benfica on February 17 and 25, Bellingham is likely to miss league matches against Valencia, Real Sociedad and Osasuna.

Real Madrid coach Alvaro Arbeloa said a potential Bellingham absence would be a “big absence” but that he has an “extraordinary squad” to help fill in for the midfielder.

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Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden were recalled to the England squad by manager Thomas Tuchel on Friday ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers against Serbia and Albania.

England, who secured qualification for next year’s tournament with two matches to spare, round off Group K with next Thursday’s match against Serbia at Wembley and a trip to Albania three days later.

Real Madrid midfielder Bellingham was left out of Tuchel’s squad for games in October, when the 22-year-old had just returned from shoulder surgery.

Manchester City forward Phil Foden is involved for the first time since Tuchel’s first camp in March.

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Bournemouth midfielder Alex Scott is the most eye-catching inclusion in the 25-man squad, with Nico O’Reilly and Jarell Quansah the other uncapped players involved.

There are recalls for Adam Wharton and Nick Pope, while Morgan Gibbs-White, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Myles Lewis-Skelly, James Trafford and Ollie Watkins have dropped out.

Tuchel opted against recalling midfielder Jack Grealish, who is on loan at Everton from Manchester City, while Real Madrid right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold also misses out.

England sealed their place at the World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the United States last month with a 5-0 victory over Latvia in Riga.

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Jude Bellingham scored a brilliant goal to help record 15-time winners Real Madrid maintain their perfect start to the Champions League with a 1-0 victory over Juventus on Wednesday.

Xabi Alonso’s Spanish giants mostly outplayed their visitors but could not extend their lead after England international Bellingham netted from close range in the second half.

Italian heavyweights Juventus, now without a win in seven games across all competitions, fought hard but failed to find an equaliser at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Madrid’s solid win was ideal preparation for Sunday’s Clasico against rivals Barcelona in La Liga and left them as one of five sides to win all three of their opening league phase matches, including holders Paris Saint-Germain.

“It was a very tough game with chances at both ends and we had to sweat for it, but it was an important win against a big team,” Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois told Movistar, after making his 300th appearance for the club.

Both teams tried to figure each other out in a tentative opening period, but slowly Alonso’s team began to take control.

Brahim Diaz flicked the ball to in-form French superstar Kylian Mbappe, whose shot was tipped away by Michele Di Gregorio.

The striker produced a superb dribble from the right to break into the box and then cut the ball back to Eder Militao, who whistled a shot narrowly over.

That was as close as either side came in the first half, but the game opened up after the interval.

Courtois made an important save with his leg to deny Dusan Vlahovic at the end of a rapid breakdown field.

Madrid took the lead after some fine work by Vinicius Junior, yet to score in the Champions League this season.

The Brazilian was surrounded by defenders in the area but managed to work some space for a shot, which he curled against the post.

Attacking midfielder Bellingham showed his poacher’s instinct to react quickest and turn home the rebound after 57 minutes.

It was the 22-year-old’s first goal of the season in his seventh match, after a slow start to the campaign following shoulder surgery in the summer to fix a long-term problem.

Mbappe, who had scored in his previous 11 matches for club and country, slipped as he shot, and Di Gregorio was able to save his low strike as Madrid sought a second.

The Italian stopper made a stunning double save from Mbappe and Diaz to give his team a chance of snatching a draw.

Juventus forged one golden chance, but Raul Asencio slid in to block Lois Openda’s shot as the clock ticked down.

Mbappe had one more effort from distance saved as he tried to preserve his goalscoring streak, but Di Gregorio was equal to it.

By contrast, Igor Tudor’s Juve are winless after their first three Champions League matches.

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Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham confirmed on Sunday that he will undergo surgery on a long-term shoulder issue after the Club World Cup ends.

The England international has been struggling with discomfort after dislocating it in a La Liga match in November 2023, and playing with a brace under his shirt since then.

With Madrid keen on securing the Club World Cup victory, they scheduled the operation for after the final, with Bellingham potentially missing the start of the La Liga season as he recovers.

“I’ve got the point where… I’m fed up with the brace, and having to tug on it and having (other) players tug on it, and it rearranging all the time,” Bellingham told DAZN after Real Madrid beat Pachuca 3-1 in Charlotte.

“I’ve got a surgery scheduled for after the tournament. I think we scheduled it a few days after the final, obviously, so I’ll go and do the surgery and get it fixed.

“I’m really happy about that, it’s been a long time coming. I think I’ve come to the end of my patience with the brace.

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“The physio here and the doctor here have been unbelievable helping me to be fine playing game in game out, (but) I’m at that point now where I’m ready to have a free shoulder and free body in terms of the brace.”

Recovery from the surgery could take up to 12 weeks, according to reports, so as well as Madrid’s first league games, he may also miss England’s FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers in September against Andorra and Serbia.

Jude Bellingham found the net in the win over Madrid’s Mexican opponents, a day after his younger brother Jobe Bellingham struck for Borussia Dortmund.

The Madrid midfielder said he had been thinking about getting even ahead of the Pachuca game, which was new coach Xabi Alonso’s first victory at the helm of Los Blancos.

“Everyone’s been caning me yesterday, saying he’s better than me. I had to do something today,” he added.

“We’re one-one now and we’ll see for the rest of the tournament.”

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Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham was hit with a two-match La Liga ban on Wednesday by the Spanish football federation’s disciplinary committee after he was sent off for dissent.

The England international was dismissed during the champions’ 1-1 draw at Osasuna on Saturday by referee Jose Munuera Montero.

Bellingham, who insisted he had been expressing his frustration and not insulting the referee, will miss league matches against Girona and Real Betis on February 23 and March 2 respectively.

The disciplinary committee said Madrid’s attempts to show that Bellingham had not insulted the official were “insufficient” to remove “the presumption of veracity of the referee’s report”.

Jude Bellingham had said his dismissal was due to a misunderstanding.

“I think you can see clearly in the video, I remember the incident very well, it was an expression (I was saying) to myself,” said the 21-year-old.

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“I’m not even directing myself towards the referee, but obviously there was a misunderstanding. He’s believed that I’ve said (something insulting) to him.”

A Real Madrid source told AFP the club will appeal the decision.

Referee Munuera Montero has faced online abuse and threats in the days since sending off Bellingham, which the federation described as “repulsive”.

Real Madrid have attacked Spanish refereeing in recent weeks, calling it “rigged” in a letter they sent to the federation and published on their website.

Los Blancos have not won in their last three league games and rivals Barcelona now lead the table on goal difference.

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Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham is set to miss around a month according to Spanish reports after suffering a calf injury in training on Friday.

“Following tests carried out today on Jude Bellingham by Real Madrid’s medical team, the player has been diagnosed with an injury to the plantaris muscle in his right leg,” said Madrid in a statement, without specifying his expected absence time.

Bellingham will miss La Liga games against Real Valladolid, Las Palmas and Real Betis, as well as England’s Nations League matches against the Republic of Ireland and Finland in September.

“(Bellingham) took a knock, we’re evaluating it,” Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti told a press conference earlier Friday.

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The midfielder was key for Madrid last season as they won a Champions League and La Liga double.

In Madrid’s first two matches this season Bellingham played in a central midfield role to accommodate the arrival of striker Kylian Mbappe, after playing in a more advanced position last season.

Jude Bellingham, 21, will aim to return for Real Madrid’s first Champions League match this season, set to take place between September 17-19.

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GELSENKIRCHEN: Jude Bellingham showed why he has been hailed as the key to England’s Euro 2024 challenge with a masterful display capped by the winning goal in their 1-0 victory against Serbia at the Arena AufSchalke on Sunday.

Bellingham arrived at the European Championship heralded as one of the world’s best young players after enjoying the season of his life at Real Madrid.

The 20-year-old lived up to the hype as his influential performance ensured England started their bid for a first major trophy in 58 years in winning fashion.

“It’s really special to score any time for England, especially a match-winning goal and one that can hopefully help us do well in the tournament,” he said.

From the moment he burst onto the scene at Birmingham at the age of 16, Bellingham has been on a remarkable rise that shows no signs of abating.

Bellingham helped Madrid beat his former club Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League final earlier in June and was named La Liga’s Player of the Year after starring in the club’s latest domestic triumph.

Bellingham’s 19 league goals for Real this term showcased his transformation into a genuine penalty area threat, a valuable weapon along with his smooth passing and indefatigable work rate.

He took just 13 minutes to underline the point in their Group C opener against Serbia.

Bellingham started the move in midfield with a measured pass to Kyle Walker before sprinting into the penalty area to meet Bukayo Saka’s cross with a superb diving header that arrowed into the net from six yards.

After being mobbed by his teammates, Bellingham showed his comfort in the spotlight, soaking up the adulation of the England supporters with his arms outstretched before running to the centre circle to whip up the fans at the other end.

“It’s a great start for me personally. They give me a lot of appreciation and love. It’s good to give that back,” he said.

Scoring England’s first goal of a major tournament is nothing new to Bellingham, who headed their opener against Iran at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

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Jude Bellingham is the first European player to feature in three major tournaments before he turns 21 after previously playing at Euro 2020 and the last World Cup.

Having become the youngest Englishman to play at a major tournament four years ago, Bellingham is also the second man after Michael Owen to score at both the World Cup and European Championship before the age of 21.

Despite his tender age, Bellingham is already so influential for England that he was named part of boss Gareth Southgate’s four-man ‘leadership group’ ahead of the tournament.

Serbia were completely unable to contain Bellingham and veteran Nemanja Gudelj earned a booking after resorting to a crude foul on the midfielder.

“I took a few kicks but it’s something I have got used to. I feel like in every game I can make an impact, I can decide a game,” he said.

With 56 touches in the first half — compared to just two for England captain Harry Kane — the relentless Bellingham was the Three Lions’ driving force.

“I felt really good coming into the game. You could see I was enjoying it. I wanted to get on the ball and build some energy,” Bellingham said.

England’s Euro campaign was starting in what was once known as the ‘city of a thousand fires’.

And Bellingham lit up the drab surrounds of Gelsenkirchen’s industrial heartland in such vibrant fashion that it is hard to imagine England’s stay in Germany being a slow burn.

He remained a blur of intelligent movement in the second half to keep Serbia at bay as England held on despite a nervy finish.

“This team is still so new, gelling together with every game,” Bellingham said.

Fittingly, he departed to a standing ovation when he was substituted in the closing stages.

Jude Bellingham already has a mural in his hometown of Stourbridge — a tribute that might well be upgraded to a statue if England get their hands on the trophy in Berlin on July 14.

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Jude Bellingham’s first year at Real Madrid began unbelievably amid a flurry of goals, but the ending could be even more incredible with the upcoming Champions League final.

With the Spanish title in the bag, Madrid are aiming for a fifth La Liga and Champions League double, against Bellingham’s former team Borussia Dortmund in Saturday’s Wembley final.

“It’s such a big game, my first Champions League final, back home in England against my old team — it’s a crazy one, I couldn’t have dreamed it any better,” Jude Bellingham told reporters this week.

The 20-year-old midfielder was voted La Liga’s Player of the Season on Wednesday. Bellingham scored 19 league goals and four in Europe on the way to the final.

Arriving at Real Madrid last summer, he revealed his love of former midfield great Zinedine Zidane and even took the Frenchman’s number five shirt in homage.

However, Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti had other plans for Bellingham, a classy centre-midfielder at Dortmund, putting him straight into the space vacated by striker Karim Benzema’s departure.

It paid instant dividends, with 13 goals in his first 13 games, getting him off to a flying start with Madrid’s fans, quick to serenade him with the Beatles song ‘Hey Jude’.

Bellingham struck twice, including a 91st-minute winner, in his first Clasico to snatch victory over then-champions Barcelona on Catalan soil.

Did he anticipate this kind of impact? “I came here expecting to win,” admitted Bellingham.

“I came here because I wanted to win, and to expect it, it’s a bit greedy almost, but you have to be confident when you’re playing with so many great players.”

With another late winner in the second league Clasico and three goals in two matches against shock title challengers Girona, Bellingham delivered in key moments.

His goalscoring slowed as Ancelotti tasked him with more defensive responsibility, chastened by a loss against Atletico Madrid — their only defeat in La Liga. In the Champions League Madrid are unbeaten.

“What you’ve seen from me this year is a lot of different kinds of roles and positions,” said Bellingham.

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There were some concerns about his fitness towards the end of the season following an ankle injury, but he says he feels “very close” to 100 per cent after resting once Madrid claimed the title.

Bellingham joined Dortmund from Birmingham City at the age of 17. He was the English side’s youngest ever player and they retired his number 22 shirt in tribute to him.

Initially outshone by team-mates Jadon Sancho and Erling Haaland, Bellingham still managed to establish himself as a regular starter in his first season in Germany.

Dortmund coach Edin Terzic praised Bellingham’s maturity, saying he could “hardly believe that he’s only 17”.

Before his final season at Dortmund, Bellingham was included in the captaincy group alongside skipper Marco Reus and Mats Hummels.

He led them out against Cologne in October 2022, aged just 19, becoming the youngest captain in Bundesliga history.

“You have the feeling he’s got three kids at home -– he’s going places,” marvelled Dortmund centre-back Niklas Suele, a Champions League winner with Bayern Munich.

Bellingham established himself as a world-class talent at the 2022 World Cup, driving England to the quarter-finals.

Bellingham and Dortmund took the 2022-23 title race to the wire but lost out to Bayern on the final day, with the midfielder named Bundesliga player of the season.

A fortnight later Bellingham joined Madrid for 103 million euros ($112 million).

“He plays very grown-up football, even though he’s so young,” said Dortmund’s Karim Adeyemi this week.

“I’m very happy for Jude, he played a great season,” added Emre Can. “But on the pitch we think just about winning for our club.”

Record 14-time champions Madrid are firm favourites though, and if they win, what is next for Bellingham?

“Hopefully the European Championship,” he said. “I just talked about being greedy… I’m focused on the final.”

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MADRID: Jude Bellingham scored an injury-time winner and lifted Real Madrid to edge arch-rivals Barcelona 3-2 in an enthralling La Liga El Clasico at Santiago Bernabéu Stadium here on Sunday.

The highly-anticipated clash got off to a contrasting start as Andres Christensen opened the scoring for Barcelona just six minutes into the game.

Christensen scored a header from Raphinha’s corner after Andriy Lunin failed to clear the ball from his six-yard box.