Jobe Bellingham is determined to step out from the shadow cast by his brother, Jude, and begin to carve out his own footballing story following his move to Sunderland.
The 17-year-old is one of the brightest young talents in English football and will be hoping to follow in the footsteps of older brother Jude, who recently signed for Real Madrid.
He was confirmed as the Black Cats’ latest summer signing on Saturday morning after completing a £3m move from Birmingham City.
Jobe Bellingham signed a long-term deal with Sunderland and will wear the number seven shirt next season. He will hope to build on last term’s breakout campaign at Birmingham that saw him make 22 senior appearances in the Championship.
😁🖊️#SAFC | @J_Bellingham pic.twitter.com/27AaG9yfat
— Sunderland AFC (@SunderlandAFC) June 24, 2023
Commenting on his move to Sunderland, Jobe said;
“I’ve been thinking about this for a long time and I can’t wait to get started. I spent many years at Birmingham City and that really helped my development, but now felt like the right time to take the next step. I’m looking forward to working under the head coach.
“I want to learn and develop my game – and I feel like I’m progressing every week, so playing with good players will only help that. The Stadium of Light is the best atmosphere I’ve ever played in and the fans have already made me feel welcome online, so I’m excited to get going and I’m focused on letting my football speak for itself.”
He will be meeting up with his teammates at the Academy of Light on Monday, June 26, as Tony Mowbray’s men return for pre-season.
Jobe is not the only member of his family to have been on the move this summer. His elder brother, Jude, made global headlines as he made a high-profile switch from German side Borussia Dortmund to Spanish giants Real Madrid.
Given that Jude is an established England international who moved to the Bernabeu for a reported fee of €103m, it is safe to say that Jobe still has some way to go to hit the heights that have been scaled by his sibling.