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
Jonathan Grant open Manning Cup season with 9-0 hammering of Gaynstead in Zone B; KC held to 2-2 draw by Penwood in Zone C
Jonathan Grant High took the early lead in Zone B of the 2024 ISSA Manning Cup thanks to a 9-0 hammering of Gaynstead High at the Papine High School field on Monday.
The 1999 Walker Cup champions lead defending Manning Cup title holders Mona High by two goals on goal difference after the first round of matches in Zone B.
In the other Zone B game on Monday, three-time Manning Cup champions Charlie Smith defeated Tarrant High 4-0 at Jacisera Park.
In Zone C, 16-time winners Kingston College had a disappointing start to their season with a 2-2 draw against Penwood High at Maverley Field.
Campion College took the early lead in Zone C thanks to a 4-0 win over Cumberland High at Cumberland while Jose Marti scored a big win of their own, 5-2 over Meadowbrook at Meadowbrook, to slot in at second on goal difference.
Tivoli Gardens High took the early lead in Zone D thanks to a 4-1 win over Denham Town High at Tivoli.
10-time Manning Cup winners Wolmer’s Boys also opened their season with a win, 3-1 over St. Jago High at St. Jago.
St. Mary’s College and Edith Dalton James High played out a 1-1 draw in the day’s other Zone D encounter.
Indonesia 0-0 Australia: Wasteful Socceroos play out stalemate
Australia's wastefulness in front of goal cost them in World Cup qualifying once more as they drew 0-0 with Indonesia on Tuesday.
Nestory Irankunda came closest for the Socceroos, hitting the woodwork, as Graham Arnold's side failed to pick up their first win in the third round of the 2026 AFC World Cup qualifiers.
Indonesia had an early flurry of chances, with Sandy Walsh and Rafael Struick both testing Mat Ryan inside the opening 17 seconds.
Australia dominated after that though, with Harry Souttar seeing a couple of efforts saved in quick succession before Irankunda struck the woodwork from range just after the half-hour mark.
The visitors pushed for an opening in the second half but struggled to create many chances of note as Craig Goodwin had Australia's only shot on target after the break.
Witan Sulaeman almost snatched it at the end, but missed a glorious chance in the dying seconds, poking a close-range shot wide of the near post under no pressure.
Data Debrief: Socceroos fire another blank
Australia suffered a shock 1-0 defeat to Bahrain in their last match, with a Souttar own goal compounding their misery that day.
And their lack of a clinical edge cost them once more against Indonesia, as they had 19 shots (five on target); they last recorded more without scoring against the United Arab Emirates in January 2019 in the Asian Cup (22).
Meanwhile, Indonesia's defence stayed resolute, but they offered little in terms of attacking threat, managing only two shots on target, which both came within a second of each other.
Haiti, St Lucia stay perfect as Puerto Rico, Curacao secure first wins in League B
Haiti and St Lucia maintained pole position in their respective League B groups as they registered their second win of the Concacaf Nations League campaign, while Curacao and Puerto Rico notched their first victories on Monday.
St Lucia edged Grenada 2-1, while Curacao blanked St Martin 4-0 in the Group B double-header at Kirani James Athletics Stadium in St. George's.
With the win, St Lucia moved to six points as Curacao rose to second on three points, same as Grenada, who slipped to third. St Martin is the only team in the group yet to get on the board.
Meanwhile, Haiti hammered St Maarten 6-0 and Puerto Rico clipped Aruba 1-0 in their Group C encounters at Estadio Centroamericano in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico.
Haiti now sit on six points and Puerto Rico inched up to second on three points, same as third-placed St Maarten, while Aruba remains at the foot of the standing without a point.
Curacao vs. St Martin
Curacao’s clinical victory over St Martin, kept their hopes of League A promotion alive.
Juninho Bacuna opened the scoring in the 10th minute when he outpaced defenders and slotted home on a transition play.
Gervane Kastaneer doubled the lead in the 13th when he converted on a second attempt after his initial shot was blocked.
Leandro Bacuna added a third in the 48th with a firm finish from deep inside the 18-yard box, before Joshua Zimmerman headed home from a weighted cross in the 65th minute to cap the win.
Haiti vs. St Maarten
Favoured to top Group C and reclaim their rightful spot in League A, Haiti moved closer to achieving the feat with another dominant performance.
Duckens Nazon led from the front with a second half hat-trick, while substitute Mikael Cantave had a brace.
Attys Christopher opened the scoring in the 40th when he headed home from a corner kick.
From there, it became the Nazon show, as he also headed home in the 59th minute, with his second and third coming in the 75th and 82nd minutes, respectively.
Cantave chipped in with strikes in the 77th and 85th minutes as St Martin had no response to the onslaught.
Grenada vs. Saint Lucia
This was always expected to be a close contest and it lived up to its billing with St Lucia denying their host.
Christian Forino Joseph broke the deadlock for St Lucia in the 13th when he got on the end of Alvinus Myers’ well-weighted corner kick.
Donavan Jn Baptiste then capitalised on Grenada’s defensive error to double the lead in the 21st minute.
Grenada pulled one back in the 51st courtesy of Lucas Akins.
St Lucia’s goalkeeper Vino Barclett was instrumental in his team’s victory as he pulled off six saves to deny Grenada an equalizer.
Aruba vs. Puerto Rico
Leandro Antonetti was the hero for host Puerto Rico in a tightly contested encounter.
Antonetti found the winner in the 73rd with a firm header to break their opponent’s hearts.
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