Jobe Bellingham has opened up on his superstar brother Jude and why he doesn’t have their family name on his jersey.
Jude and Jobe Bellingham’s presence at the FIFA Club World Cup has made history: they’re the first brothers to play on opposing sides at the same CWC tournament. Yet on the back of Jude’s Real Madrid jersey is ‘Bellingham’, while Jobe’s Borussia Dortmund shirt simply says ‘Jobe’.
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Jobe, 19, signed a five-year deal with Dortmund and did not have to wait long to make his debut for the Bundesliga side. In his unveiling video for Dortmund, where Jude also played before heading to Madrid, Jobe insisted, “I’m not following anyone’s footsteps” and said he wants to be his “own man”.
“I don’t really care how it looks, but it might look a bit contradictory to some people; for me, it was about choosing the right path, not necessarily a different one. I don’t think my path has been the same as Jude’s at all,” Jobe said.
Jobe revealed that he only sports his first name because he thought it would be “cool to have my own name”, adding that there was no “deeper meaning” behind the decision.
Bellingham assists Dortmund to top group | 03:58
The decision is actually a trend maintained since leaving Birmingham for Sunderland. Birmingham City retired Jude’s No.22 shirt when he was just 17.
In November of 2024, Tony Mowbray, now the former Sutherland manager, explained that the rising star didn’t want to “live off the back of his brother’s name. He’s trying to create his own identity”.
“He wants to be the footballer that he is and show people what he can do,” Mowbray added.
Jobe’s impressive performances with the newly-promoted Premier League team secured his move to Germany this summer.
His switch to Dortmund has inevitably drawn comparisons with brother Jude. Jobe, who transferred for $66 million to the Bundesliga side, netted his first goal for his new club on Saturday, scoring against Mamelodi Sundowns in a 4-3 victory in the Club World Cup.
The goal was distinctively Bellingham, with a late run towards the box. The confident first-time touch, the technically assured strike.
Jude revealed that he has copped some stick since Jobe scored. The Real Madrid star found the net for the first time at the tournament to help his side to a 3-1 win over Pachuca.
Asked if the sibling goal had been playing on his mind, Bellingham told DAZN: “A little bit, I’ve got to be honest. Everyone’s been caning me yesterday saying he’s better than me.
“So I had to do something today. We’re 1-1 now and we’ll see for the rest of the tournament.”
As the Club World Cup progresses, there’s a growing possibility that they could go head-to-head, in a scenario that would mark a truly unprecedented moment in football.
Football has celebrated many famous brothers, including the Boatengs, the Nevilles, the Ayews, Thiago and Rafinha Alcantara, and Rafael and Fabio da Silva. But while the Nevilles (Gary and Phil) represented Manchester United at the same Club World Cup (2001), no siblings have featured as opponents in the same edition of the tournament until now.