Jude Bellingham has named two former Sunderland players as his ‘heroes’ growing up.
Speaking to L’Equipe, the Real Madrid star admitted that he admired both Seb Larsson and Craig Gardner as a child.
Bellingham, brother of Jobe, was born in Stourbridge and spent nine years in Birmingham City’s academy before making his senior debut in 2019.
After one breakthrough campaign with the Blues, Bellingham was snapped up by Borussia Dortmund for £25 million at only 17 years old. He was named in the Bundesliga Team of the Season twice, as well as the Bundeliga Player of the Season before completing an initial £88.5 million move to Real Madrid.
The midfielder has just won the 2023 Kopa Trophy and could well be on his way to win the Ballon d’Or next year, which makes his two footballing heroes even more special.
When asked who his childhood idols were by L’Equipe, Bellingham said: “I admired the players from Birmingham, the team that won the League Cup at Wembley. My heroes were Seb Larsson, Craig Gardner, Lee Bowyer.”
Seb Larsson and Craig Gardner were both part of the Birmingham City squad who won the League Cup in the 2010/2011 season, beating Arsenal thanks to goals from Nikola Zigic and Obafemi Martins.
However, Sunderland fans will remember the pair more fondly from their time on Wearside. Gardner and Larsson both left Birmingham just four months after their League Cup success.
The duo made over 300 appearances for the Black Cats in total, with Larsson named as the Supporters’ Player of the Year for the 2014-15 season.
Jobe and Jude Bellingham – England’s favourite brothers!
While I’m not sure we can take much credit for hosting two of Jude Bellingham’s football heroes, it is nice to know he stays true to his roots. The 20-year-old’s attitude is really exciting for Sunderland fans, as it seems like Jobe is really heading in the same direction.
The teenager hasn’t hit the dizzy heights that Jude did at such a young age, but he is a hugely gifted player on the path to becoming a brilliant professional and the brothers’ mentality is exactly what will get them where they want to be.