Bellingham brothers both join new clubs on the same day
Both Jude and Jobe signed for their respective new on Wednesday - one to Real Madrid, the other to Sunderland.
Jude Bellingham was officially presented by Real Madrid on Wednesday afternoon and almost simultaneously, his younger brother Jode was also on the move as both siblings joined their respective new clubs on the same day.
Just a few before after Jude’s arrival at the Bernabéu, Sunderland announced the signing of Jobe Bellingham from Birmingham City, which is without two of the most successful brothers from its academy in recent times.
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A club statement read: “Sunderland AFC is delighted to announce that an agreement has been reached with Birmingham City for the transfer of Jobe Bellingham. The 17-year-old midfielder will finalise a move to the Stadium of Light upon returning from international duty with England’s Under-18s. After making his senior debut in January 2022 aged 16, Bellingham featured regularly for the Blues throughout the 2022-23 campaign and made 22 appearances in the Sky Bet Championship. We all look forward to welcoming Jobe to Sunderland AFC ahead of the 2023-24 season”.
International duty
Jode has been on duty with Neil Ryan’s Young Lions at the International Tournament of Lisbon. The midfielder was in the starting XI for the 2-2 draw with Norway and the goalless draw against the hosts and came on as a second half sub in the 3-2 win over Australia.
He said he is thrilled to be taking a new step in career: “I’m delighted to sign for Sunderland AFC and I can’t wait to get started. The opportunity for young players to move here and progress is clear, so I believe this is the perfect Club for me to continue my development. I’m grateful to everyone at Birmingham City for their support over the past 11 years and I wish them the best for the future, as I begin the next chapter of my career at the Stadium of Light”.
Last season in Birmingham
Jobe Bellingham has played a remarkable number of minutes for a teenager (660 in total) in the Championship, the second tier of English football. He made 23 appearances for his life-long club last season - six of them as a starter. Now he faces a new challenge at Sunderland who are aiming to return to the elite. The Black Cats were relegated in 2017 after 10 straight seasons in the Premier League and returned to the Championship this year after four seasons in League One.