Jude Bellingham reveals why he is returning to Birmingham with nod to Blues & Aston Villa | OneFootball

Jude Bellingham has made a return to the city of Birmingham with his latest business deal

Jude Bellingham came through the ranks of the Birmingham City academy system before becoming one of the biggest stars in football with Real Madrid.

The midfielder made his first appearance for the Blues at the age of just 16, becoming their youngest ever senior debutant at the time.

After just one season at St. Andrew’s, Bellingham made the big money switch to Borussia Dortmund in a deal worth a reported £22.75 million.

The 22-year-old’s star grew and grew during his time in Germany, as he helped the team to a Champions League final in 2023, as well as three consecutive second place finishes in the Bundesliga.

This led to him making the switch to Real Madrid in a deal valued at a total of £115 million.

In three seasons at the Bernabeu, Bellingham has won one La Liga title, a Champions League, a UEFA Super Cup and a Supercopa de España.

Jude Bellingham opens up on Birmingham return decision

Bellingham has made a return to the city of Birmingham with confirmation that he’s bought a stake in the cricket team Birmingham Phoenix.

The Real Madrid star will now own 1.2 per cent of the side, with the deal set to cost close to £1 million.

The 22-year-old has explained that his love of cricket was a big driver behind the decision, as well as it being an opportunity to show his gratitude towards the city.

He expressed his love for Birmingham, or at least half of it in a dig at rivals Aston Villa, while also opening up on the importance of cricket to his life.

“Pretty simple, I love Birmingham,” said Bellingham, via Sky Sports on X.

“I think I’m very grateful for what they’ve done for me, and the whole city of Birmingham really, well at least one half, and I love cricket as well.

“Playing when I was younger, and now as I’ve got older as I’ve got to understand the game a bit more, watch it on the TV.

“It’s what I watch when the football’s not on, really.

“I enjoy the Test games the most when I can watch it the whole day, when training finishes and I can get back to watching it in the afternoon, I think I just love it really.

“So it’s a perfect blend, and when I got the opportunity to get involved I didn’t really think twice about it, and I’m so happy to be on board.”

Bellingham will be hoping for a strong end to the campaign at Real Madrid as he sets his sights on playing an important role for England at the World Cup this summer.

Meanwhile, Birmingham have little to play for in their final two fixtures of the Championship season.

The Blues were aiming to be in the fight for promotion to the Premier League in their first year back in the second division.

However, Chris Davies’ side are now 14th in the table and 13 points adrift of the top six with just three games to go.

Birmingham will be back in action this evening with a home clash against Preston North End in a 7.45pm kick-off, where a win could put the team up to 10th, depending on results elsewhere.

Jude Bellingham’s connection with Birmingham grows

Bellingham is well remembered at Birmingham even after just one season in the senior team, as he made such a strong impact at such a young age.

There is no surprise at the club that he’s gone on to achieve what he has already in his career, and he is still only 22.

Perhaps a return to the Blues could be on the cards in the distant future, if the team can get back to the Premier League and he accomplishes all he wants to at Real Madrid.

It’s clear that he still has a strong connection to the city, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if he were to seek a move back to where his career began in the years to come.