Bellingham was surprised by the decision of old flame Birmingham City

Soccereco, Staff Writer

Published: 02:41, 15 Nov 2023

Jude Bellingham has been making waves at Real Madrid since last summer, but he was still under contract with Birmingham City three years ago. The club where he went through the youth academy made a special gesture towards Bellingham after his departure to Borussia Dortmund.

Bellingham moved from Birmingham City to Dortmund for €25 million in the summer of 2020. At that time, he had played 44 official matches for the Championship club. The midfielder went through the youth academy in Birmingham from 2010 to 2019.

To Bellingham's surprise, Birmingham City decided not to assign 'his' jersey number 22 to another player. That number is still reserved for the current star of Real Madrid and England.

"I heard about that decision a day before it was made public," Bellingham said in an interview with France Football. "During a farewell dinner, I was told that nobody would wear the jersey number until I return someday."

"I was like, 'Really?' I had a good season, but it wasn't exceptional. I even thought, 'Should we really do this?' I felt a bit embarrassed," said Bellingham, who emphasized the importance of Dortmund's transfer fee for Birmingham. "That money helped Birmingham stay afloat."