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Jobe Bellingham joins brother Jude on England duty this international break after receiving a surprise first call-up. And whilst most will be familiar with his surname, many may not know the story behind the 21-year-old's ascent. Like his Real Madrid star sibling, Jobe began his career with Birmingham City's academy. He didn't have his squad number retired there, but he did make his debut aged 16 and record 24 league appearances before joining Sunderland for £1.5million in 2023.
He lit up the Stadium of Light and played a pivotal role in the Black Cats' 2024/25 promotion campaign. But Jobe did not stay put in the Premier League and instead followed in Jude's footsteps, signing for Borussia Dortmund in June 2025 for a whopping £32m.
After a relatively quiet debut season, Jobe has been stellar under Niko Kovac in the Dortmund midfield this term. He's played over 1,000 minutes and set up three goals in all competitions.
Jobe is yet to score, but his ball retention and defensive work rate have been key in the German side remaining unbeaten in the Bundesliga thus far.
Thomas Tuchel was evidently keeping a close eye, and with midfield options thin, he opted to include Jobe in his squad to face Croatia and Spain in the Nations League. Express Sport takes a closer look at the youngster's career to date and some hurdles he's had to overcome along the way.
When Jobe made his senior debut for Birmingham in 2022 at just 16 years and 107 days old, he became their second-youngest first-team player in history. No prizes for naming their youngest-ever player he couldn't surpass… Jude's No. 22 shirt was retired when he left St Andrew's in 2020, and the expectation of having a global superstar as a brother no doubt weighed on Jobe.
Two of Jobe's managers at Birmingham, Lee Bowyer and John Eustace, urged people to stop making comparisons, but inevitably they continued. So, when he moved to Sunderland, he opted to make a change. Previously, the Bellingham surname was emblazoned on the back of his shirt, but it was replaced with just 'Jobe' in 2023.
Then-Black Cats boss Tony Mowbray shed light on why: "I think he's trying to create his own identity. He doesn't want to live off the back of his brother's name; he wants to be the footballer that he is and show people what he can do."
The very same day Jobe penned his Sunderland contract, Jude became a Galactico with Real Madrid - and for all the avoidance of following his brother, Jobe opted for Dortmund in 2025 after making over 80 Sunderland appearances.
Jobe and Jude's father, Mark, is not afraid to speak his mind. He was a prolific semi-professional non-league striker in his own right, scoring over 700 goals across more than 20 clubs during his playing career. Both Mark and his wife, Denise, the Bellingham boys' mother, have sacrificed much for their children.
When the brothers left Birmingham to pursue their respective journeys, the parents' highly publicised decision was to divide their household. Denise flew to Germany with Jude and Mark stayed behind to care for Jobe, eventually following him up to the Stadium of Light. When Jude joined Real Madrid, Denise followed.
Both have always been there for their sons. However, sometimes their support isn't so positive. Last year, Dortmund were forced to ban all family members from the dressing room after an incident involving Jobe's father.
The 2025/26 season wasn't the easiest for Jobe. Early mistakes compounded and a costly error against Bayern Munich didn't help. On his debut, Dortmund were winning at FC St. Pauli 3-1 in the 85th minute, but squandered the lead and drew 3-3. Jobe was taken off at half-time.
Father Mark, who serves as his son's adviser, was reportedly unhappy with the change and had an emotional discussion with then-Dortmund sporting director Sebastian Kehl. BILD claims Mark wanted to meet with the manager too to make his opinion clear, but this never happened.
It is said that some players noticed how emotional Jobe's father was, but the club's managing director downplayed it. However, family members were subsequently banned from the changing room area.
Jobe soon turned things around. He didn't score domestically and mustered just two league assists in his first season in Germany, but he did play regularly, starting 29 games across all competitions.
Now, his impressive performances this campaign have seen him earn his first England senior call-up. Jobe and Jude have remarkably never played a senior football match together. Could Thursday's meeting against Croatia finally be the day both brothers step out onto the pitch as team-mates?
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