Jude Bellingham says his career arc is evidence of the mindset that anything is possible as the England teenager looks to win it all.
From homegrown hero with Birmingham to teenage star at German giants Borussia Dortmund, the 19-year-old midfielder’s inexorable rise shows few signs of abating.
There are few more exciting prospects in world football than Bellingham, who has already established himself as a key component for trophy-hungry England and was named Bundesliga Player of the Year after just missing out on the league title.
“The goal has always been winning,” Bellingham told the PA news agency. “When you ask me what my biggest ambitions are in the game, it’s to win everything. And I’m not afraid to say that.
“You know, everyone should have that goal I feel like as professional footballers.
“I’ll do my best to try and make it happen and if it doesn’t then it won’t be because I haven’t worked hard for it.
“But, yeah, I’d say records and stuff and individual records don’t excite me like trophies do, so I think that’s the goal for me.”
Bellingham, who was speaking before the Bundesliga finale, knows individual honours and records may well come along the years, with England team-mates often suggesting he could break Peter Shilton’s 125-cap record given he has made 24 appearances already.
But accomplishments like that are at the back of his mind as he looks to maximise his ability and opportunities.
“Football’s my life, really,” said Bellingham, who hopes to inspire the next generation in his role as ambassador for the McDonald’s Fun Football programme – a programme that provides free, inclusive football coaching for children aged five to 11 across more than 1,500 locations in the UK.
“I think I’ve put too much into it so far just to stop and accept that I’m going to play at a certain level and only going to win so much.
“So, I feel like the mentality that my parents and friends around me have always put into me is go after everything.”
That mindset and his whirlwind journey to date means he has little chance to take stock on his career – something he hopes to do with family and friends this summer.
“There are things I had to deal with as part of German life,” Bellingham said of the move to Dortmund in 2020.
“I probably dealt with that more behind the scenes than in front of cameras and stuff like that, so I’m really grateful that I had such good people around me.
“I had good club staff at the time, obviously I had Jadon (Sancho) who was here before me from England and he kind of showed me the ropes and made me feel comfortable. As soon as I was comfortable, really, I just let my football do the talking.”
Bellingham has certainly done that, thriving in BVB’s famous black and yellow shirt with his leadership qualities helping him to become the youngest ever player to captain the side.
“I think the key to that has been availability,” Bellingham said in a self-deprecating manner.
“I think because I’m available a lot of the time it means that I’m on the pitch and I can show what I do every game. Whilst the team around me gets rotated, I’m more of a mainstay.
“I think you gain respect from that, in all honesty, and obviously my performance has been good enough to warrant that.
“The coach must have seen other things that he likes to give me that responsibility and whenever I’ve played, I don’t think the armband changes me.
“So, yeah, you’re taking a little bit more responsibility, but I enjoy it. It’s a beautiful pressure that you want on you that I wanted since I started playing football.
“Especially in the Champions League games – it’s the biggest stage, for me – and to have that pressure is really enjoyable.”
Bellingham takes a lot of pride in his path from St Andrew’s to Signal Iduna Park.
Life in Germany has been eye-opening and his success there has silenced those that attempted to dissuade him from fulfilling his lofty aspirations.
When put to Bellingham that he seems to have the mentality that anything is possible, he said: “Well, I think that I am kind evidence of that, really.
“I think if I didn’t have that mentality I wouldn’t have been able to get from the Championship to where I’m at now, thankfully, in the space of two or three years.
“When you’re saying it three years ago everyone’s calling you naive and telling you that you need to slow down a little bit.
“But when you put your mind to it and you work hard at it, it doesn’t seem so crazy when it actually happens. So that’s the goal for me to try and continue to chase my dreams.”
:: Jude Bellingham was speaking at a McDonald’s Fun Football session to announce his role as an ambassador for the UK’s largest grassroots participation programme for 5-11 year-olds. Find your nearest free session at www.mcdonalds.co.uk/football
Former Soca Warrior Hislop endorses Edwards to steer TTFA back to glory days; hopes to see T&T at World Cup
With the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) now back to regular proceedings, former Soca Warriors goalkeeper Shaka Hislop is optimistic that it will bring with it good fortunes that will see the twin island republic qualifying for another FIFA Men’s World Cup.
Hislop’s sentiments came during an endorsement of recently-elected TTFA president Kieron Edwards, who he believes is best suited to steer the country’s football and finances back on track, as he foresees a bright future for football.
In fact, Hislop, who was Trinidad and Tobago’s custodian at the 2006 FIFA World Cup, expressed delight that the association is no longer under the thumb of the Normalisation Committee, which was installed by FIFA in 2020.
The Normalisation Committee had a mandate to manage the daily affairs of the TTFA, establish a repayment plan for the debt-riddled organisation, review and amend its statutes –and other regulations, where necessary – and ensure compliance with the statutes and rules of the world governing football body.
“I was very critical of the Normalisation process, and I remain so. I felt our football needed to be in our hands. We needed to chart our own path and answer to our own stakeholders. And now with President Edwards in place, we have that,” Hislop said during Grenada’s 100 Years in Football Legends Match in the Spice Isle recently.
“We have that opportunity again to do that. It’s a big opportunity for us to maybe try to rediscover a lot of our game, and our football, and what it means to us. Both in terms of our performances on the park and in terms of how we provide those opportunities and platforms that I did, and I was able to enjoy when I was a kid coming through,” he added.
Having benefitted immensely from a decorated career with the Soca Warriors, Hislop is now hoping to return the favour by assisting aspiring players to chart the course towards a successful career of their own.
“T&T as a country, T&T football as a sport, has given me an awful lot, more than I could ever repay for, and more than I think many people recognize. And that will always be my focus, how can I support young men and women who are trying to find their way in the sport,” he declared.
That said, Hislop pointed out that the chances of Trinidad and Tobago making another appearance at the global showpiece remains highly possible, but it will require the right mentality and financial backing to achieve the feat.
Trinidad and Tobago enjoyed a fairly successful 2023 Concacaf Nations League campaign in which they made the quarterfinals and secured an historic win over United States.
Angus Eve’s side missed out on Copa America qualification, but they have a grand opportunity to possibly secure a spot at the 2026 World Cup, especially with the confederation’s powerhouse teams –Mexico, United States and Canada –securing automatic qualification as hosts, and as such, will be absent from the upcoming qualifiers.
“If they stick with it, if they are given the right tools, if they’re given the right coaching, provided the right mentors and the right opportunities, I’m sure the game will give back to them in an enriching way as it did to me,” said Hislop.
“My dying dream is to see T&T qualify for a World Cup so I can go there as a fan. I was to go and experience T&T playing in a World Cup, purely as a fan. I’m hopeful that I’ll see that,” he ended.
Ancelotti excited by Guler potential after Madrid teenager's goal at Granada
Arda Guler was once again on target for Real Madrid against Granada and an excited Carlo Ancelotti believes Los Blancos can expect more to come from the teenager.
Chances to impress in a first-team environment have been limited for Guler, who chose Madrid over Barcelona to join from Fenerbahce last July, owing to the quality of Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo.
Yet the Turkey youngster has scored twice in his last three LaLiga starts, finding the net in Saturday's 4-0 thrashing of Granada after also striking against Real Sociedad on April 26.
"We still don't know what his potential is because he is very young," the Madrid head coach said of Guler.
"But he is showing incredible talent, he is very effective in front of goal and has speed.
"I don't know what his ceiling is, today it is difficult to say, but he has natural talent and he's doing very well."
Brahim Diaz has also had to settle for a backup role in the Spanish capital but scored twice in the hammering of Granada, as well as a goal for Fran Garcia.
Ancelotti heaped praise on his much-changed Madrid side as the newly-crowned LaLiga champions impressed after reaching the Champions League final in midweek with their win over Bayern Munich.
"Well… it's hard to say who surprised me the most," Ancelotti said after resting the likes of Jude Bellingham, Vinicius and Rodrygo in 10 changes for Saturday's victory.
"Among those who returned, Brahim earned an important role, but I don't want to forget Joselu or Fran Garcia, who arrived this year and did really well.
"Fran in the first period and the others, in terms of goals, were fundamental to having this level at this moment of the season."
Madrid host Alaves and Real Betis either side of a trip to Villarreal to end their league season, before the Champions League final with Borussia Dortmund on June 1 at Wembley Stadium.
Pioli lauds Milan determination after snapping winless run with Cagliari triumph
Milan head coach Stefano Pioli has come under scrutiny in recent weeks but lauded his side's determination after snapping their four-game winless run in Serie A on Saturday.
The Rossoneri hammered Cagliari 5-1 as Christian Pulisic was twice on target, along with goals from Rafael Leao, Tijjani Reijnders and Ismael Bennacer at San Siro.
That victory marked their first in the league since April 6 against Lecce and also ended a six-game winless run across all competitions.
Milan have already watched fierce rivals Inter lift the title but secured second place in the table after moving seven points clear of Bologna with two games remaining.
Despite a frustrating, stop-start season, Pioli was at least satisfied to see his team respond to their concerning run of form.
"It was very important to return to winning ways, we were not used to being so long without victories. We suffered this situation, well done to the guys for their determination," coach Pioli told Sky Sport.
"No team has managed to maintain the level of Inter and we were not able to have continuity to stick with them.
"Ours is a strong team, but one that failed to overcome decisive moments at a certain time during the season."
Nahitan Nandez pulled a goal back in the 63rd for Cagliari, who remain in 15th place with 33 points, three points above the relegation zone.
"It hurts to have conceded five goals, in the first half we did well defensively, but we were timid," Cagliari coach Claudio Ranieri said.
"Coming here to San Siro against an angry Milan side after the last results was difficult ... the last two matches will determine whether it will be salvation or relegation.
"Now we cancel everything and think about the next ones."
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