Title : This is Why Real Madrid bought Jude Bellingham
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Jude Victor William Bellingham (born 29 June 2003) is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for La Liga club Real Madrid and the England national team.

Bellingham joined Birmingham City as an under-8, became the club's youngest ever first-team player when he made his senior debut in August 2019, at the age of 16 years, 38 days,[4] and played regularly during the 2019–20 season. He joined Borussia Dortmund in July 2020, and in his first competitive match became their youngest ever goalscorer. Over three seasons with the club he made 132 appearances, was a member of their 2020–21 DFB-Pokal-winning team, and helped them finish as runners-up in the 2022–23 Bundesliga. He signed for Real Madrid in June 2023.

Club career
Birmingham City
Bellingham joined Birmingham City as an under-8,[4] after playing for Stourbridge.[12] He played for their under-18 team at 14,[10] and made his debut for their under-23 team at the age of 15, on 15 October 2018 away to Nottingham Forest's U23s. Entering the game after an hour, he scored the only goal in the 87th minute "sliding in to force the ball over the goal line after pressure by Kyle McFarlane on the keeper diverted the ball into his path."[13] By March 2019, he had three goals from ten development squad appearances,[14] had featured in FourFourTwo's list of the "50 most exciting teenagers in English football",[15] and was mentioned as of interest to major European clubs.[16][17] He was gradually introduced to the first-team environment while still a schoolboy: increasingly training with the seniors, he accompanied them on matchday to observe,[10] and travelled as the "19th man" for a Championship match in March.[14]

Borussia Dortmund
2021–2023: Sustained performances and second-place league finish
On 4 December, Bellingham played in Der Klassiker against Bayern Munich. He made the assists for both Dortmund goals,[47] but Bayern won the match 3–2 via a 77th-minute penalty awarded after lengthy VAR involvement. Earlier in the fixture, two Dortmund penalty appeals were turned down by referee Felix Zwayer, who refused to review either.[48][49] Interviewed live by Viaplay immediately after the match, Bellingham was critical of Zwayer's decisions, and made reference to his part in the 2005 German football match-fixing scandal, saying: "You give a referee, that has match fixed before, the biggest game in Germany. What do you expect?"[50] The German Football Association (DFB) wrote to Bellingham asking for his comments as a matter of urgency.[50] He was later fined €40,000 by the DFB.[51]

On 22 October 2022, in a match against Stuttgart, Bellingham contributed significantly with two notable goals – the first stemming from a rapid attack he both started and finished, and the fourth being a skillfully curved shot post half-time – actions that were instrumental in ensuring Borussia Dortmund's place among the league's top four.[52] On 28 May 2023, Bayern Munich won the Bundesliga following the concession of two points by league leaders Borussia Dortmund in a 2–2 draw to Mainz 05 on the final day of the league.[53] Bellingham, an unused substitute owing to a knee injury, was filmed pushing a camera away from his face as he left the field in tears.[54] On 7 June, Borussia Dortmund announced that Bellingham would be transferring to La Liga club Real Madrid after the end of the 2022–23 season.[55]

Real Madrid
On 14 June 2023, Real Madrid announced the signing of Bellingham on a six-year contract.[56][57] The agreement included a base transfer fee of €103 million, payable to Borussia Dortmund.[58] This fee could potentially increase to approximately €133.9 million due to add-ons, which can amount to 30% of the fixed transfer amount.[59] Upon his official unveiling, Bellingham was given the number 5, for which he thanked Jesús Vallejo, the then wearer, calling him “a brilliant, brilliant guy”. Bellingham admitted that his choice of the number was partially in “homage” to Zinedine Zidane and that being awarded it was an “honour”.[60] Speaking of why he joined Real Madrid, Bellingham mentioned that the “respect that England has for Real Madrid is so high” and that he wanted to be one of the players that would add to its “great history”.[61]

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