Jude Bellingham goes to bat for hometown cricket club
The Real Madrid footballer has bought a stake in The Hundred’s Birmingham Phoenix, a cricket team from his hometown.
Soccer star Jude Bellingham has purchased a stake in Birmingham Phoenix, the U.K. city’s franchise in the cricket league The Hundred.
“It’s always Birmingham”
The Real Madrid and England midfielder, who was born and raised in the Birmingham area, announced his investment in the Phoenix on Wednesday, declaring: “This is about pride - about believing in where you’re from.”
The former Borussia Dortmund player, who began his soccer career with Birmingham City, added: “Before Madrid, before Dortmund, before any of that - no matter how far you go, you carry where you’re from with you.
“Every game, every stadium, every moment, it’s always Birmingham.”
Bellingham investment worth reported seven-figure sum
Per the specialist outlet The Cricketer, Bellingham has acquired a 1.2% stake in the Phoenix, having bought 0.6% from each of the team’s two principal shareholders, Warwickshire and Knighthead Capital - the latter an investment firm that counts NFL legend Tom Brady among its partners.
The deal is reportedly valued at close to £1 million (about $1.35 million).
Bellingham “could have gone far” as a cricketer
Bellingham has made no secret of his fondness for cricket; indeed, he has said that if he could trade places with any other athlete, it would be England Test captain Ben Stokes.
What’s more, the 22-year-old showed significant promise as a cricketer before going on to achieve soccer stardom.
Mark Baker, the chairman of Hagley Cricket Club in Worcestershire, has previously recounted Bellingham’s cricketing exploits as a child. Speaking to the Daily Mail in 2024, Baker said: “His dad brought him along and he had a couple of years playing in our youth sides.
"You could tell he was a natural-born cricketer from a really early age. He was a very good player - especially because he didn’t have a lot of time for cricket because of his football commitments.
“I remember he took a fantastic catch in a youth game. Most people wouldn’t have been able to get near it - but he did. He had incredible coordination, it was just raw natural ability. If he had focused on cricket, he could have gone far in the game. He’s just a special sporting talent.”
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