Jude Bellingham's brother tipped to follow in Real Madrid superstar's footsteps

07 October 2023 , 06:20

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Jobe Bellingham is Jude's younger brother

Sunderland teen Jobe Bellingham has all the footballing tools of his world class Real Madrid star brother Jude.

Tony Mowbray says the 18-year-old midfielder is developing quickly at the Stadium of Light, as Sunderland face a North East derby against Middlesbrough on Saturday. Bellingham, who wears the name Jobe on his back to differentiate form his elder siblings career, has become a central part of Mowbray’s youthful team who have risen to fourth.

Jude is ripping it up in Madrid with nine goals in 11 games this season.

Mowbray 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. 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 and belief and has a good football brain.”

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On the derby clash with the club he grew up with, Mowbray joked: “My son is a Boro fan. If we win I won’t rub it in my son’s face, and if they win, he probably will in mine! It will be an emotional, passionate game. Margins in this league are tight. Every game is a close one.

Jude Bellingham is on fire at Real Madrid (Giuseppe Maffia/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

“But there is only one big derby for Sunderland fans in my mind. Boro would consider Newcasle and Sunderland big games and Leeds too. Not like a Tyne Wear derby I am pretty sure. They are in good form so bring it on. Do I like debies? Great when you win and not when you lose.

“I grew up from six watching the Boro play, played for them, captained and managed them, so they are not just another team. I want to win the games when we play them. It is a dangerous game. They have obvious threats. Data told us they were a decent team and now data is turning to good results.”

Simon Bird