AT the Adidas concession here in Doha’s sprawling fan zone, a giant picture of Jude Bellingham stares out alongside another of Lionel Messi.

Before the tournament kicked off some were wondering if the marketing bods hadn’t got a little ahead of themselves.

Jude Bellingham celebrates after scoring England’s first goal at the World CupCredit: EPA

 

Toddler Jude with dad Mark at a non-league gameCredit: Tim Stewart

 

Jude is only 19 years old and has only played 117 league games, 41 of which were in the Championship for Birmingham City.

Messi is thought to be the best football player ever.

 

On Monday afternoon, though, at Qatar’s Khalifa International Stadium, Jude said he was sure he would be sitting next to Rosario.

England fans gave him a rousing version of the Beatles’ song “Hey Jude” after he scored a beautiful headed goal and played an exciting box-to-box game in his first World Cup game.

 

His mom Denise and dad Mark taught him to be humble when he was a kid.

He has also said this about Mark, 46, and Denise, 54: “They were great people before they became great parents.” Both are from the middle class and taught me how to get along with others.

 

“You can use those lessons in football as well as in your personal and social life: don’t give up, work hard, and if you want something, do what it takes to get it.”

His dad used to be a police captain but retired last week. Before that, he was a journeyman non-league striker.

On windy, muddy afternoons, Jude watched his dad play football at football sites from Southend to Sutton Coldfield with his mom and little brother Jobe.

Jude posted a picture of himself being held by his bald dad as he walked off the field before a game for Southend’s Catholic United in Essex.

Born in Southend In 2016, Mark scored 700 goals for Paget Rangers in the Midland League Division Two. He was 40 years old at the time.

The record, which was reached in about 850 games, began with a goal for East Thurrock United in 1994.

He played for about 15 different teams, such as Bromsgrove Rovers and Stourbridge, but he said he was “not very good!”

The English player talked about his dad: “I used to watch him play all the time. That’s how I got interested in football.”

“My game shows that toughness and being gritty when you need to be in a non-league setting. I think that comes from watching my dad play, even though he never tackled!”

Jude made his move to Dortmund with Denise when he was 17. They shared a room when Jude signed for Dortmund.

Jude showed ‘unreal’ raw talent at cricket & football aged just 11Credit: Tim Stewart

Jude and his mum Denise share a cuddleCredit: Twitter

Last May he said: “My mum keeps me in check on a daily basis, does pretty much everything for me. She keeps me level-headed and grounded, which is the most important thing.”

Born in June 2003, Jude Victor William Bellingham’s footballing career began on a scrap of grass outside the family’s home in Hagley, near Stourbridge, West Mids.

Former West Bromwich Albion winger Gary Hackett, who later managed Mark Bellingham at Stourbridge, remembers Jude and Jobe playing in a local park.

He recalled: “Even if they weren’t involved in the session they would be running and kicking a ball and you could just see they had a passion for football.

“You could see they were naturally gifted athletes. They could run and they had good technical skills.”

Jude and Jobe also played cricket.

Fady Jadayel, coach at Hagley Cricket Club, said: “At 11, Jude stood out as unbelievably talented. He had a raw sporting ability. It’s difficult to express it without sounding weird but he moved with a poise and a grace. His co-ordination was unreal.”

Cricket would ultimately lose the boys to football.

Jude signed for Birmingham City’s pre-academy aged seven. Former academy manager and mentor Mike Dodds remembered: “At under-sevens he was just like any other boy, really.

“He was very good, obviously, but he wasn’t this mercurial, generational talent that people label him now.

“He wasn’t the best at his age group, he wasn’t completely in love with the game. We liked him but if someone had said he would be in the England squad at 17 we’d have thought that person was crazy.”

In 2015 Dodds had a conversation with a 12-year-old Jude which would help shape his young charge’s career.

‘Poise and grace’

He explained: “I sat down with him and said, ‘I think you have the ability to play all areas of midfield’, so sitting midfield was a No4, No8 was a box to box and No was a scorer and creator.

“We added all those numbers up and it came to 22. So we decided that was his number.”

On August 6, 2019, Jude jogged out to face Portsmouth in the Carabao Cup with number 22 on the back of his Blues shirt.

Aged 16 years and 38 days, he was Birmingham City’s youngest ever first-team player.

He would play another 43 games for City that season, earning £145 a week, but the Championship was no place for his glittering talents.

Soon Manchester United were sniffing round.

But Premiership Big Six teams are tough places for youngsters to break through.

Dad Mark was keener on Germany’s Borussia Dortmund, who offered a £25million deal and have a track record of blooding young talent, including England’s Jadon Sancho.

Some believed Birmingham be- haved a little theat- rically when they retired the No22 shirt worn by a teenager on just 44 occasions, but they have been proved prophetically correct.

In October 2020 he became the youngest Englishman to start a Champions League match, facing Italy’s Lazio aged 17 years and 113 days.

A month later Gareth Southgate came calling.

Wearing his beloved No22 shirt, Jude made his England debut as a substitute against the Republic of Ireland at Wembley.

At 17 years 136 days he became England’s third-youngest full international behind Theo Walcott and Wayne Rooney.

After his first start for England, against Austria in June 2021, Southgate said: “You can’t help but marvel at the performance of a boy that age. It’s a bit disrespectful maybe at 17 to call him a boy, and he certainly plays like a man.”

Jude with his family signing for Birmingham City in 2019Credit: Birmingham City FC

Jude’s dad Mark on patrol as a copperCredit: PA

Former academy coach Dodds credits Jude’s close-knit family with nurturing his stellar career.

He said: “They’re so consistent and the bond they have is so strong it’s made him very humble and incredibly focused. He’s so driven to be the very best and such a strong family bond is almost the perfect storm.”

Brother Jobe, 17, is following his trajectory, making his debut for Birmingham last year.

Last week Mark handed in his West Midlands Police warrant card, tweeting: “As of midnight I became a civilian after 24+ years service. Cops ain’t perfect but they’re trying their best under difficult circumstances. If we can show kindness to each other, we have a chance.”

In his prime, Mark earned around £200 a week from football.

Jude earns around £50,000 a week with Dortmund, but could more than triple that with a move to an English or Spanish giant.

His opportunities off the field also appear limitless.

So far he has used his new-found fame to fundraise for a school in Kenya.

But despite being showered with adulation and riches, Jude is quick to remember those windswept days watching his dad on the muddy playing fields of England.

He may be billed opposite Messi but it’s the hotshot non-league striker Mark Bellingham who he calls his “first footballing hero”.

Proud Jude joining Borussia Dortmund in 2020Credit: Getty

Young Lion Jude in his England trackie with mum DeniseCredit: Twitter

Jude celebrates with team mate Mason MountCredit: Getty Images – Getty

The Sun reported on Jude leading England to thrash Iran 6-2 in their opening game