Jobe has lofty expectations on his shoulders but he's made a scintillating start to life at the Stadium of Light
Soon after completing his surprise £1.5 million ($1.9m) switch to Sunderland this summer, Jobe Bellingham informed the club that he wanted his first name printed on the back of his new No.7 shirt. It was a decision motivated by a desire to forge his own legacy in the game – and when you've got a family like Bellingham has, it's little surprise that he was keen to create his own distinct identity.
Of course, his brother is Jude Bellingham, who has swiftly emerged as a frontrunner for the 2024 Ballon d'Or following a string of inspirational performances for Real Madrid. As Jobe was negotiating his move to the Stadium of Light, his sibling was making the necessary arrangements to move to the Spanish capital, having completed a blockbuster £108m ($133m) transfer earlier that summer.
Living in the shadow of this gargantuan talent must be stifling. But Bellingham has not allowed his potential to be smothered. While Jude has been taking the world by storm, his baby brother has been generating quite the buzz back home.
Getty ImagesWhere it all began
It's not just Jobe's older brother who has raised expectations for the Sunderland star. Growing up the pair's father, Mark, was a well-known footballer in his own right. A police officer by day, Bellingham Sr. carved out a reputation as one of non-league's most prolific ever scorers, netting over 700 goals across a 20+ year career.
His seventh century of goals was brought up in 2016 for Paget Rangers, with the striker netting a superb free kick against Fairfield Villa. He humbly told the Non-League Paper after that game: "Most of the 700 were from not very far out so I think I owe my team-mates over the years a lot more than they owe me!"
As Bellingham Sr. was reaching the tail end of this illustrious scoring career, both of his sons were progressing through the Birmingham City academy. While Jude flew through the ranks, featuring regularly for the first team at the age of just 16 and eventually having his shirt number retired when he left for Borussia Dortmund in 2021, his brother was a slower developer.
He was included on the bench for a pair of Carabao Cup games at the beginning of the 2021-22 season, though did not make it on. If he had, he would've usurped Jude as the Blues youngest-ever player. His debut eventually came in January 2022, with Bellingham coming off the bench during an FA Cup tie against Plymouth Argyle. After that game, then-manager Lee Bowyer was full of praise for the youngster, saying: "I said to him: 'You've done really well, you're a 16-year-old lad that dominated the ball, didn't really give it away, tried to do the right things and when you did give it away you ran back, defended in your own box.'"
Bellingham used his maiden taste of first-team action as a platform at St Andrew's, continuing to train with the senior squad and earning more consistent minutes during the 2022-23 campaign. By the time Sunderland came calling in the summer, he'd made 26 senior appearances for his boyhood club, failing to register a goal or an assist during that period.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesThe big break
Having not even turned 18 yet and only boasting a handful of second-tier starts to his name, few would have expected Bellingham to feature from the outset following his move to the Stadium of Light. However, when Tony Mowbray named his first Championship starting XI of the season against Ipswich, there he was, sitting pretty in an attacking-midfield berth.
Sunderland may have lost that encounter, as well as their second game of the campaign away at Preston North End, but there was plenty for fans to get excited about during Bellingham's early career. All this promise clicked into place to devastating effect against Rotherham the following weekend.
Just two minutes after Hakeem Odoffin had given the Millers the lead, Bellingham levelled things up with his first-ever career goal, heading home from close range following good work from Dan Neil. Swiftly after the restart, he netted what would turned out to be the decisive goal, stroking Bradley Dack's lay-off into the bottom corner like a seasoned poacher. For the first time in his career, he was the match winner – Jobe had arrived.
Mowbray lavished his starlet with praise at full time, telling : "I think his greatest asset is he wants to learn football. He's 17 but he asks questions every day of the coaches – why am I doing this? Where do I go? What do you want me to do? He's a joy to work with really and I'm just so pleased he's scored some goals and helped the team win."
Getty ImagesHow it's going
Since his debut, Bellingham has remained a fixture in the Sunderland first team, failing to feature in just one of his side's opening 21 Championship games. And due to a spate of injuries, he has been used in a string of different positions.
A significant chunk of Bellingham's minutes have come as a false nine, though he's also been used behind a more traditional striker and in a deeper midfield position. It's in this latter role that he has probably endured his least productive displays.
"Due to injuries and suspensions, Jobe found himself operating in a deeper role as a No.8 in a double pivot accompanying Dan Neil or Pierre Ekwah. I do think he did look less comfortable in this role as he's not a naturally defensive-minded player, which probably saw his least impactful minutes," Dan Harrison, a writer and analyst for Sunderland fansite Roker Report, told GOAL recently.
When he's been played further up the pitch, however, Bellingham has had plenty of fun. Predictably, he netted against former club Birmingham in November and also laid on an assist for Abdoullah Ba in a home victory over Watford.
The shock dismissal of manager Mowbray in December might have threatened to derail this progress, with Bellingham telling that the manager played a key role in his development.
"He made me a more mature player in a short space of time. He took away pressure on matchdays for us, and it was such a good feeling. You just feel like you're going out there and expressing yourself. I'm really grateful I got to work with him," he said.
But Bellingham has in fact continued his fine form under interim boss Mike Dodd – who played a pivotal role in bringing the midfielder to the club in the first place, having worked with him and his brother at Birmingham.
Under Dodd, Bellingham enjoyed the defining moment of his career so far against high-flying Leeds, nipping in front of goalkeeper Illan Meslier to head home and earn the Black Cats a vital three points.
Getty ImagesBiggest strengths
Where do you want to start? Bellingham has a unique profile for a player his age, an exciting blend of technical prowess, physicality and composure.
"His natural flair was something that stood out from very early on," Harrison added when GOAL asked about Bellingham's standout qualities.
"Whether that be in his smart ball retention through drag backs or his ability to receive the ball on the half-turn almost anywhere on the pitch and not look pressured in doing so. His biggest assets for me personally are the intangible ones that aren't coachable, his overall awareness and reading of the game are far superior to the average teenager and he has a real knack of popping up in the right place for Sunderland at times this season."
It's easy to see these strengths for yourself if you watch Bellingham in the flesh. It's scary how composed he is in possession considering his limited top-level experience. His physical presence is something to behold too.
Standing five centimetres taller than his brother Jube and filling out significantly since his professional debut, Bellingham can hold off a challenge and win the ball in the air. Team-mate Neil gave a pretty neat summation after his maiden brace against Rotherham, describing him as "an absolute freak of nature, physically."
He added: "Technically, he is a top, top, player as well. He has come here to play in front of 40,000 every week and that is something he is going to have to take on mentally, because we can all see how good a player he is technically, physically, and tactically. It is a different kettle of fish playing up here in front of these fans, but from what I've seen of his personality, he'll take it on just fine."
Bellingham's comfort with playing in front of 40,000+ supporters every week speaks to his incredible maturity. After netting that winner against Leeds, he was put up for media duties and spoke like someone with a decade's experience in the game, calmly analysing the game from a tactical perspective and transmitting leadership skills that also defy his tender years.