Who is Jude Bellingham, Real Madrid's new $110m super signing?

Here we go! With these famous words, transfer guru Fabrizio Romano announced on Twitter the long-awaited signing of Jude Bellingham by Real Madrid.

We all know the top footballer Bellingham, but where did it all start for the young English midfielder? Join us as we explore the life and career of one of today's greatest football talents.

Jude Victor William Bellingham was born in Stourbridge to Denise and Mark Bellingham. He has one younger brother, Jobe, who currently plays for Birmingham City FC.

It is no coincidence that Bellingham was born with footballing talent, as his father was a fearsome striker in non-league football and scored many goals.

Picture: Denise and Mark Bellingham

Bellingham started playing football at local club Stourbridge, but later joined Birmingham City FC in the under-8 youth category.

It was clear from the start that Bellingham was an exceptional talent. He skipped several youth categories and was already playing for Birmingham's under-23 team when he was only 15 years old.

It was only a matter of time before he would make his first-team debut, which he did on 6 August 2019 against Portsmouth in the EFL Cup first round. At the time, Bellingham was only 16 years and 38 days old.

Bellingham scored his first goal in professional football on 31 August 2019 against Stoke City. He came in as a substitute, but helped his team win 2-1 after trailing 0-1.

For the rest of the 2019/20 campaign, Bellingham got more and more chances, and he featured 35 times in Birmingham's starting eleven that season. In total, he played 44 games, in which he scored four goals and gave two assists.

Bellingham had made a name for himself across Europe and was considered one of Europe's greatest talents at the time. Big clubs were lining up to sign the Stourbridge-born player, with Manchester United reportedly making an offer in January 2020.

Birmingham turned down United's offer, however, and Bellingham remained in the West Midlands for the rest of the season. Nevertheless, it became clear that a big move was coming for the youngster, who would sign for a rather surprising club that summer.

Bellingham made the move to German side Borussia Dortmund, a team known for giving young players plenty of opportunities to develop.

According to Transfermarkt, Dortmund paid €30.15 million for Bellingham, who signed a long-term contract with the club.

Bellingham would immediately impress in Germany, becoming Dortmund's youngest ever goalscorer in the DFB-Pokal on 14 September 2020 against MSV Duisburg. He was only 17 years and 77 days old at the time, a record that would later be broken by Youssoufa Moukoko.

Bellingham went on to become a key player in Dortmund's Signal Iduna Park, playing 132 games for the German giant.

In those games, he scored 24 goals and provided 25 assists, helping Dortmund to silverware.

Bellingham and Dortmund won the DFB-Pokal in the 2020/21 season by beating RB Leipzig 4-1 in the final.

On a personal level, Bellingham was named Bundesliga Player of the Year in the 2022/23 season, in which Dortmund narrowly missed out on the league title.

Meanwhile, Bellingham had also become a mainstay for the England national team. He excelled at the FIFA World Cup in Qatar and attracted even more interest from major European clubs.

Another big move was in the making for Bellingham, but where would he sign this time?

Top Premier League clubs were linked with the midfielder, with Manchester City named as one of the favourites to contract the player. Meanwhile, another European giant was doing all it could to sign Bellingham.

Real Madrid worked steadily on a deal with Bellingham and completed it in June 2023. The young Englishman will be a player of Los Merengues from the 2023/24 season.

While Eden Hazard, that other expensive Real Madrid superstar, is leaving the Spanish capital, Bellingham is embarking on what could be the most successful period of his career.

Bellingham could be seen as the latest Real Madrid Galactico, a term used to refer to the expensive superstars of the past that president Florentino Perez signed to 'Los Merengues'.

Real Madrid will reportedly pay €103 million ($110m) for Bellingham to Dortmund, a sum that could still go up with add-ons.

Bellingham's task in Madrid seems clear: he must become the leader of the new generation of Los Merengues.

With players like Luka Modric and Toni Kroos nearing the end of their careers at Real Madrid, Bellingham must take on a crucial role in the coming years.

But why did Real Madrid chose Bellingham, while there are also so many other players that they could have signed?

Bellingham has an exceptional profile for a player of his age. He is already an established player and could make an immediate impact at Real Madrid.

Moreover, Bellingham is only 19 years old and has at least a decade of top-level football ahead of him. The reason for which Real Madrid gave him a long-term contract until June 2029.

One thing seems certain after Bellingham's signing: Real Madrid's future looks bright. On to la decimoquinta?