It may be a surprise to some but Jobe Bellingham’s call-up to the England senior side has been a long time coming.

Jobe’s career path has been very similar to that of his older brother Jude – England’s star player at the World Cup and one of Real Madrid’s best players. Both were stars of the Birmingham City academy before big-money moves to the German Bundesliga and England call-ups.

Jobe’s debut for Birmingham came at the age of 16 years and 107 days – 69 days older than Jude had been when he made his first appearance for the Blues’ senior side.

The central midfielder then moved to Sunderland and helped them win promotion to the Premier League before joining German side Borussia Dortmund at the age of 19 in a deal worth up to £31m.

Jude also moved to Dortmund, when he was 17, before developing into one of the world’s best players and joining Real Madrid.

Having one of the best midfielders in the world as your older brother comes with challenges and Jobe, has consistently been compared to his sibling.

But the former Sunderland midfielder is his own player, wearing ‘Jobe’ on the back of his shirt instead of his family name. He said it was suggested to him by a former coach because “it shows that I’m going my own way”.

Jobe is a different type of player to Jude, sitting deeper in the midfield, but is as physically imposing while still being good on the ball.

He is the current captain of the England Under-21 side, and England manager Thomas Tuchel said Young Lions head coach Lee Carsley had been pushing for some time for the younger Bellingham to get senior recognition.

“He’s the standout player,” said Tuchel. “He’s the captain, so the door should always be open for the pathway, always be open for special performances over a long period of time.

“That’s what Jobe has done on top of it. He found his way, he found his rhythm with Dortmund. He’s had an excellent start to his season, is a regular starter and influential.”

England host Croatia at Wembley on Thursday, 12 November before travelling to Madrid to take on Spain on 15 November in this next international break.

With Arsenal’s Myles Lewis-Skelly suspended for the first game, and Bournemouth’s Alex Scott out injured after shining on his debut in last month’s 7-0 win over Croatia, Tuchel said a natural “opportunity” for Jobe had opened up.

“He deserves to make an impression for us,” said the German in his news conference after naming the squad.

“It’s an incredible achievement for the family and for the brothers. I saw his excitement straight away and his smile.

“He has an open and calm personality. He’s one of five players for the central midfield.

“He’s a more defensive player than Jude. So strong on the ball, good physique, a big body, a very physical player and can keep possession.

“It’s now up to him, but he’s excited and happy and eager to impress, and that’s the best foundation to have a good camp for him.”



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