Jude Bellingham has shared his thoughts on Birmingham City’s decision to retire his number 22 shirt after his departure in 2020, shedding light on his initial indifference to football and his inspirations.
The Stourbridge-born midfielder, who made his senior debut for Birmingham at the age of 16 years and 38 days in August 2019, had only played 44 times for the club. When Birmingham announced their intention to retire his shirt number 22 following his £22.75 million transfer to Borussia Dortmund, some were skeptical of the decision.
In a recent interview with the French publication L’Equipe, Bellingham revealed his reaction to the decision: “They told me ‘no one will take it until you get back to Birmingham.’ I was like [shocked face] ‘Really?’ I had a good year (2019/2020), but it was nothing extraordinary. I looked around me. ‘But wait, are we allowed to do that?’ But I understand the position and the decision. My transfer saved the club, which was in a difficult situation.”
Interestingly, Bellingham initially did not have a strong interest in football: “At the beginning, I didn’t like football at all. The truth is that it’s crazy to say today that if someone took this away from me I would go crazy. When I was a kid, I used to go to training sessions and I used to pick the grass, the flowers, I used to make necklaces with the daisies to give them to my mother who was outside the field watching me. It was like that, really, and the best part of this whole story is that it’s probably the reason why I ended up getting involved in soccer in the end. My dad would take me to practice and tell me if you want to play tag, play catch or go pick flowers. My parents never forced me to do anything in that sense as long as I behaved well and helped others. I guess the world to me was the playground, and they still remind me of that today.”
Bellingham also expressed his admiration for several football figures, including former Birmingham players Lee Bowyer and Craig Gardner, as well as Wayne Rooney and Steven Gerrard: “I admired the Birmingham players, the team that won the League Cup at Wembley (2-1 against Arsenal in 2011). My heroes were Seb Larsson, Craig Gardner, and Lee Bowyer. As I got more into it, my dad became the most important. Later, my first role models were Wayne Rooney and Steven Gerrard, simply because they played in England.”
His curiosity for the game expanded as he grew older, even influenced by his father’s admiration for Zinedine Zidane: “My father had a fake Zidane shirt that he had bought on the beach. He took it everywhere, often at home. One day I asked him: ‘By the way, who is that guy?’ He said, ‘Go on YouTube and check it out.’ Since then, I probably haven’t stopped. Zidane was the player I wanted to be. I was lucky enough to meet him during the Champions League final between Real Madrid and Liverpool (1-0, in 2022). I was like a child, with wide eyes. He is so humble for someone who has accomplished so much. He gave off a great presence. And, according to the guys who played with him here, he was a great coach. That is just as important.”