He’s just 19-year-old, but Jude Bellingham could become the most expensive British footballer in history after signing a deal with Real Madrid worth up to £113million.
His transfer to the Spanish giants caps an incredible rise, which began when he became Birmingham City’s youngest ever player at just 16.
And the teenager superstar certainly has a very supportive family to thank for his success with parents Mark and Denise by his side every step of the way.
Doting dad Mark, 47, is Jude’s manager – and brokered the deal with Real Madrid for Jude, acting as an intermediary between the Spanish club and Borussia Dortmund.
Meanwhile, Jude has said that his mum Denise, 54, is the key to his success, calling him calling her a ‘queen’.
Also by his side is his glamorous influencer girlfriend Asantewa Chitty, 22, who started dating the wunderkid last year and brother Jobe, 17, who is following in his brother’s footsteps as a professional football player.
Jude Bellingham could become the most expensive British footballer in history after signing a deal with Real Madrid worth up to £113million. His family are ‘very supportive’. Pictured with mum Denise, 54, Dad Mark, 47 and brother Jobe, 17
The supportive parents were on side, alongside brother Jobe (left) at the press conference where Jude announced his move to Real Madrid
Parents Mark and Denise were on side to cheer on Bellingham when during England’s victory over Senegal at the World Cup last year
Jude says his mum is his ‘queen’ and that he ‘loves her more than anything’. The pair are pictured together when Jude was a child
Denise, as well as Mark, have acted as a grounding force for the midfield star while his early career has rocketed off to the heights of world football.
‘The role my mum is playing is massive. I think at the minute it is probably the biggest role of anyone, even probably more than my coaches and managers, to be honest,’ he said in December.
In 2020, Bellingham signed for Borussia Dortmund for £22.5million following a breakout season with Championship and boyhood side Birmingham City.
Already loved so much by the Birmingham club and the wider city, Bellingham had his shirt number 22 retired despite just playing 44 games for the club in a fledgling career.
But Birmingham’s love and admiration for Bellingham is understandable after standing out as one of England’s best players in last year’s World Cup.
A bridge in Birmingham is even set to be named after the break-out star.
Jude was the youngest player ever to make a debut for Birmingham City’s senior team at just 16. He is pictured with his brother and parents signing the contract
Mark Bellingham is a retired police sergeant, he is pictured while a PC with Peter Judah (left) and Clive Asher (right) both members of the Haile Selassie Peace Foundation in Handsworth, Birmingham
Meanwhile, Jude also has Instagram model Asantewa Chitty by his side
The pair have reportedly been dating since last year, with sources telling The Sun: ‘She is also very keen on him. She is excited to see where this goes’
But when others could have lost their head and fallen off track by the plaudits and glory, Bellingham has kept focus thanks to his parents.
Denise, who works in human resources, and his father Mark a former police sergeant and non-league footballer, were sure to keep their son grounded.
In 2020, when Denise moved with Bellingham to Germany, she left behind Mark, who stayed with their other son Jobe – also a professional footballer for Sunderland.
Both Bellingham and his mum Denise still live in a flat together, where she makes his bed and sometimes drives him to training.
Denise also manages her son’s financial affairs, allowing him to focus on football and not become distracted by the prestige and greed that can derail the careers of many young footballers.
But Bellingham also owes much of his success on the pitch to his father Mark, a retired non-league footballer.
With 23,000 followers, the budding influencer often shares snaps from glamorous nights out and trips to exotic destinations
The British beauty, believed to be from Portsmouth, loves art and has recently taken sunsoaked trips to Italy and Greece
Denise (pictured) also manages her son’s financial affairs, allowing him to focus on football and not become distracted by the prestige and greed that can derail the careers of many young footballers
Although Bellingham admitted he later grew to idolise the likes of Wayne Rooney, it was Bellingham senior’s action on the pitch that made him his first footballing hero.
Mark scored more than 700 goals in around 900 appearances, earning him the prestige of an English non-league Pelé.
He juggled stints at clubs including Leamington, Stourbridge and Sutton Coldfield Town with his day job as a sergeant with West Midlands Police.
Their father hung up his boots at the age of 41 in 2017 and is believed to have retired from the police. He declines to discuss his son’s achievements.
Jude told The Guardian in 2020 how his mother Denise took him to watch his father play: ‘It’s where I started to get that love for football. I think you can see in the way I play that I’ve watched the game from a young age.
‘That non-league style of toughness and being gritty when you need to be… I do think that comes from watching my dad play – even though he never tackled!’
While keeping sensible, Jude has enjoyed sun soaked trip abroad
The teenager started out very young (left) and was the third youngest England player ever at his debut (right at the World Cup)
Leamington FC chairman Jim Scott described Jude’s father as a ‘goal machine’, adding: ‘He was in great demand, a good player who was extremely dedicated, particularly when you consider his demanding career. [He] could have played at a higher level. You can see where Jude gets his talent from.’
Speaking about his dad to the FA in an interview, Bellingham said: ‘We talk about footballing heroes, and my dad was like my first.
‘When you go and watch him play every week in non-League, you know it’s not the Premier League or anything, but seeing the way that he played and the atmosphere, it made me fall in love with football so he was probably my first hero.
Denise Bellingham (left), Jude Bellingham (second left), Jobe Bellingham (second right) and Mark Bellingham on the red carpet prior to the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Awards 2021
Prince William, Prince of Wales presents an England shirt to Jude Bellingham at St George’s Park on November 14, 2022
Denise and Mark are often pitchside watching Jude (pictured at World Cup in Qatar)
Jude’s brother Jobe (left) is also a budding star signing a contract for Sunderland aged just 17
‘After the first few times of going, I’d start to pay a bit more attention to the games and stuff, the atmosphere and he’s scoring goals so you see him celebrating and stuff like that – you want that to be me.
‘Growing up, he’d always give me tips on what I could do and now it gets to a certain age and it sort of flips and that’s brilliant because we have that sort of relationship like father and son and then as I got older, like coach and player.’
Meanwhile, Jude also has Instagram model Asantewa Chitty by his side.
The pair have reportedly been dating since last year, with sources telling The Sun: ‘She is also very keen on him. She is excited to see where this goes.’
With 23,000 followers, the budding influencer often shares snaps from glamorous nights out and trips to exotic destinations.
The British beauty, believed to be from Portsmouth, loves art and has recently taken sunsoaked trips to Italy and Greece.
She’s also shared snaps partying in Paris, as well as trips to Germany – where Bellingham is based.