Bundesliga
After a two-season hiatus, Bellingham is back in the Bundesliga. Only this time, rather than former Borussia Dortmund star Jude, his younger brother Jobe has flown in to boost the BVB midfield. He's following in his superstar sibling’s footsteps, but he has precisely what it takes to be a hit with the Yellow Wall in his own right.
Jude was just 17 when he arrived at Signal Iduna Park in 2020, but he had already made a name for himself in England. His debut for Birmingham City aged just 16 years and 38 days made him the youngest player in the club's history, while his impact in the 12 months he spent with the senior side was so great that they retired his No. 42 shirt upon his departure.
Back then, the move was chastised by fans and pundits alike, but the Birmingham hierarchy may have shown incredible foresight. After slowly bedding himself into the Dortmund squad in 2020/21, a season played largely behind closed doors/in front of reduced crowds due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he became a key component of the side across the following two campaigns.
Watch: Jude Bellingham's magic Bundesliga moments
It was clear in 2022/23 that he was on his way to becoming a Dortmund and footballing icon, scoring eight goals in 31 Bundesliga appearances and showing incredible leadership to help BVB to within a whisker of the Bundesliga title. They may have eventually missed out to Bayern Munich, but Jude still walked away with the German top flight’s Player of the Season award.
As his brother shone in Dortmund, Jobe was making his first steps in professional football, also with hometown club Birmingham. He didn’t quite break Jude’s record when making his debut, but the Bellingham brothers now sit one and two in the all-time youngest list with the Blues, a rather incredible feat for one family.
Jobe’s rise has not been as meteoric as Jude's, but he has improved quickly. It wasn’t long before a move to Sunderland, who were plying their trade a division higher up than League One Birmingham in the English Championship, came calling. Unlike his previous employers, who used him sporadically as he got to grips with the men’s game, the Black Cats immediately relied on him.
Jobe has missed just seven of Sunderland’s 92 league matches in the past two seasons. They narrowly missed out on promotion in 2023/24, but Bellingham’s performances played a vital role in their return to the Premier League in 2025, with him winning the Championship Young Player of the Year award while also being included in the Team of the Season.
Although Jobe has chosen to have his first name on the back of his shirt, rather than his surname – a decision he made because he was “trying to create his own identity - he doesn't want to live off the back of his brother's name," according to ex-Sunderland head coach Tony Mowbray – his game shares many similarities with Jude, especially during his Dortmund days.
In the older Bellingham's final season at Dortmund, he played primarily in central midfield, the same as his potential successor. He averaged a passing accuracy of 84.9 percent , slightly less than Jobe’s 85.7 percent in 2024/25. The younger of the two has a slight 5cm height advantage, yet both players featured in their respective team’s top six in terms of aerial duels contested.
The two can also play in several positions in the middle of the park, which could be an advantage if they were to ever link up at international or club level – something which Jude has previously said would be the highlight of his career.
It is perhaps psychologically, though, that the comparisons between the two ring truest, as Jude has previously revealed. "He has a really good mentality and thinks like me. He’s a really good young player, so I get a lot from him as well".
After all, the two have had to deal with extreme expectations – Jude due to his age and Jobe for the same reason, as well as who he is related to.
Speaking last September, the man two years Jobe’s senior was eager to stress how well his brother has dealt with the weight of the family name. “People will use him as a way to have a dig at me and vice versa, so we’re almost like each other’s biggest fans but also the biggest target for each other because we care about each other so much.
“He has to deal with more than what I would have had to at his age, and he deals with it with so much class. He wants to try and create his own legacy and his own path.”
It will be interesting to see the impact of the incoming Bellingham on the Dortmund team. He arrives with the Ruhr outfit in a different position than when his brother left. BVB are no longer the closest challengers to Bayern, only securing UEFA Champions League football on the final day of the recently finished season.
Watch: Celebration time in Dortmund as top-four spot delivered
That may require him to be at his best from the off as Dortmund aim to return to the summit. However, if his brother’s legacy is anything to go by, the Borussia faithful don’t have anything to worry about.