The Bellingham Blueprint
The Bellingham brothers have, so far, been perfectly managed.
By Patric Ridge
In 1995, a recording of an argument between warring brothers Liam and Noel Gallagher was released.
Wibbling Rivalry, with a run time of 14 minutes and 32 seconds, peaked at number 52 on the official UK singles chart.
Oasis were approaching their mid-90s zenith, and the Mancunian siblings were regularly front-page news.
Thirty years later, the Gallagher brothers are back on the front pages. At the time of publication, the band’s long-awaited reunion tour kicks off in a little over a week.
The Gallaghers are due to head over to the United States later this year, if they manage to get along that is, but there are already two British siblings writing headlines across the pond.
The brothers Bellingham both scored over the weekend — Jobe on Saturday, netting on his first Borussia Dortmund start, emulating the achievement of his elder sibling, Jude, who on Sunday, then scored for Real Madrid.
"Everyone was caning me yesterday saying he's better than me so I had to do something today. We're 1-1 now and we'll see for the rest of the tournament."
-Jude Bellingham, speaking to DAZN
A healthy bit of sibling rivalry — not wibbling — never hurt anyone, and there is a possibility that these two brothers go head-to-head in the quarter-finals of the Club World Cup.
But what is really fascinating is how well both of the Bellinghams have been handled.
Jobe is only 19, and Jude only 21 (he turns 22 next week). Yet their careers have been planned and cared for, meticulously, it would seem.
Jude was just 17 when he left Birmingham City for Dortmund, having rebuffed the advances of Manchester United, among other huge clubs.
This was a career path carved out. Dortmund was the ideal place for Jude to develop, away from the media spotlight, away from the pressures of the Premier League, in which a 17-year-old has to be truly special to cement themselves as a regular.
Dortmund are a huge club renowned for giving youngsters a chance, and the Bundesliga is a fantastic league. Jude’s development probably went better, and quicker, than even he or his family would have expected, but it proved what a good decision it was to head to Germany.
There was speculation that Liverpool would win the race for Jude’s signature when it was time for the midfielder to leave Dortmund, having become a key player for England by then. But Real Madrid was the next step on the plan by this point.
Jude, even with Madrid having paid over €100m, exceeded expectations in his first season in the Spanish capital. He became ‘the man’ for club and country, by the age of 21.
His second season was not quite as stellar, and he is carrying a worrisome shoulder problem that will require surgery, though even how he handles that problem seems to have been carefully planned.
And so, focus switches to Jobe.
Two years ago, Jobe followed in his brother’s footsteps by leaving Birmingham. Of course, Premier League clubs were desperate to get their hands on the next cad off the Bellingham rank.
But the smart move was to join a club on the up, and crucially, one where Jobe would feature, and feature plenty.
Sunderland was that smart move. A club that had bounced back from tough times and was hoping to challenge at the right end of the Championship.
Jobe’s two years at the Stadium of Light proved hugely fruitful. He made 88 Championship appearances for the Black Cats, with 85 of those being starts. His minutes tallied up to 7,449, which ranks 13th in the Championship over the past two seasons. Jobe scored 11 goals and provided four assists in the second tier.
He played a disciplined, defensive role as Sunderland ground their way through the play-offs and back into the Premier League, and there was a school of thought that he would stay on for next season.
Those chances were swiftly dashed, though. Dortmund made their intention clear — and it seems, again, that this was the plan from the Bellingham clan.
Taking a step back, it seems there has been an intention to keep both Bellingham brothers out of the Premier League. At least for now.
Lucrative moves to club’s in the top flight have been rejected.
And that has helped form both brothers into characters that are — or at least were — deemed likeable. There is no club rivalry getting in the way of appreciating how good a player Jude is. Indeed, it is only in recent months that his attitude has come into question, and even then, it has been down to the demands Jude places on himself and his team-mates. A winning mentality that, at times, can come across as arrogance.
Who knows how it will turn out for Jobe at Dortmund, but the early signs are positive. BVB tend to have a plan with how they integrate youngsters into the side, and they will show patience with a player who is a relative of a recent fan favourite.
And, we may get a chance to see the Bellingham brothers go head-to-head on the world stage. It will surely happen sooner rather than later, even if we are unlikely to see any Gallagher-type explosions.
One thing is for sure: The Bellingham blueprint is certainly one to follow.