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With Jobe joining Jude in the senior England squad for the first time, this week we could be treated to a double dose of Bellingham on the same pitch together
It's the 92nd minute of Borussia Dortmund vs Bayern Munich. Michael Olise gets the ball on the left wing and dances into wide open space. We’ve seen this show before, haven’t we? Gilding across a manicured green runway, goal beckoning, he reaches the penalty area, sets himself, and… wait, what’s this!? It’s a one-man, all-action, elite football SAS Black Ops stallion with a laser-etched hairline thundering into view. With one expert hook of an Adidas Predator, Olise is dispossessed and left sprawling on the turf. Mon dieu, Jobe Bellingham.
That's right; now, there’s two of them.
After the heroics of Jude at this summer’s World Cup (That was so good for a bit, wasn’t it?) the younger Bellingham has been brought into the England fold after impressing at Dortmund this season, embracing the pressure and adulation of the Yellow Wall in a similar fashion to his older brother, who spent three seasons dominating in the Bundesliga.
“He’s coming out of his own merit,” Thomas Tuchel has said of Jobe’s call up to the Three Lions squad ahead of this weekend’s Nations League ties against Croatia and Spain, in which Marc Guéhi will definitely, absolutely, one hundred percent NOT fall over an invisible trip wire, or pass the ball directly to Lamine Yamal in front of goal, or stand on a rake Sideshow Bob style as Lamine Yamal runs past him (mainly because he's been ruled out injured).
Having been a star in Birmingham’s academy, he then smashed a stint at Sunderland before turning down the chance to play in the Premier League in favour of Dortmund’s elite football finishing school – so there are plenty of similarities between the two brothers. There’s that Pythagorean haircut for one, the powerful gait and a taste for battle, but Tuchel sees Jobe, who is also England’s U21 captain, as a slightly different profile to his more marauding, goal-hungry brother.
"He's one of five players for central midfield, more defensive than Jude," said Tuchel, when asked how he saw Jobe's position. "Strong on the ball, good physique, big body, very physical player and can keep possession.”
Despite still being only 21, Jobe has already had to deal with some pressure under the spotlight. During his first season at Dortmund there were murmurs amongst fans that, despite the hype, family pedigree and £26m price tag, this might not be a case of immediate success. There were some high profile errors, including one in his first derby against Bayern. At times he looked slightly lost, in awe of the fervent German crowds and the expectations that come with being a wunderkind from a family of wunderkinds.
But that was last season. He ran the show the other week against Bayern during a 2-2 draw, looks stronger, more confident, the hairline is even sharper, tighter, the stride even more powerful, the vision honed. He’s telegraphing the sort of energy that says, GIVE ME THE BALL RIGHT NOW PLEASE! Thomas Tuchel isn’t here to give out any gifts (except to Argentina in a World Cup semi-final, but I digress.)
It’s 2 Bell 2 Ingham: Stourbridge Drift. It’s Bellingham Reloaded. If they both play against Croatia or Spain, it'll be the first time two brothers have stepped out in England shirts together since…. no Gary and Phil Neville, with Bobby and Jack Charlton the only other brothers to represent the Three Lions. No offence to the Nevilles but surely the Bellinghams will rival the Charltons more.
Oh, and while we’re at it, Tommy T, get father Mark Bellingham in there. You saw him score seven for the England over 50s the other week, didn’t you? Give our Ballon d'Or boy, Harry, a rest and get him on the end of some free kicks. Triple Bellingham! Why not? Let’s make history.