Why Jude Bellingham wore the No.22 shirt at Birmingham City - this is genius | OneFootball

The reason behind Jude Bellingham's decision to wear No.22 is extremely clever

Jude Bellingham wore the No.22 shirt whilst at Birmingham City and the reason behind it is extremely clever.

Certain footballers become iconic for a number of reasons during their careers, which is usually helped by their natural talent. Stars such as Ronaldo, Roberto Baggio and David Beckham will always be remembered by the haircuts they sported, adding another element to their stature within the game.

Another way players have become unique is by the number they represent, which can go a long way to making them stand out when compared to others on the pitch. Some, such as Cristiano Ronaldo, have made this a part of their brand, whilst others have championed their number due to it being unique, such as Declan Rice wearing No.41, or Phil Foden and Trent Alexander-Arnold wearing No.47 and No.66 respectively.

Bellingham has announced himself as one of the greatest players in the world over the past few years, winning domestic and continental titles with Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund.

The 22-year-old has also become a crucial part of the England National Team set up, scoring an outstanding overhead kick during EURO 2024 to keep the Three Lions in the tournament.

Bellingham started out his career with Birmingham City, where he came through the youth ranks and very quickly made it known that he was a special talent. It was during this time that he was handed a unique number, one which he carried on through his time with Blues into professional football.

The genius reason behind Jude Bellingham’s Birmingham City number revealed

As previously mentioned, the coaches at Birmingham City worked out very quickly that Bellingham was a unique prospect when coming through the academy and had all the potential needed to reach the very top.

Mike Dodds, who was Blues’ head of development when the midfielder was in the youth ranks, revealed that Bellingham wanted to become a No.10, as did most children around the age of 13.

However, the coaches believed that he was doing himself a disservice due to the fact that the future Real Madrid star was limiting himself to just one position.

Instead, they explained that he was more of a No.22, as he could play as a four, eight and 10. When adding these digits all together, you get the number 22, which is exactly why he wore it on his back.

When Bellingham graduated to the first team at the age of just 16, he decided that he wanted to continue using the number. His performances that term impressed the nation, with maturity beyond his years displayed with every outing.

After 44 appearances and four goals, the midfielder had attracted interest from all over England and Europe, eventually deciding that Borussia Dortmund was the best place for him to continue his development.

Birmingham made the controversial decision to retire Bellingham’s number, despite having played just a single season for the club. However, given the career he has already gone on to have, it may not have been the worst action.

Bellingham continued to wear the No.22 at Dortmund, paying homage to his Second City roots, as he became one of the world’s best young operators. His time with the number ended in 2023, when he joined Real Madrid and adopted the number five - formerly donned by Los Blancos great Zinedine Zidane - marking the start of a new era in his career.

Jude Bellingham could inspire future generations to wear the No.22

When most young footballers are coming through the youth ranks, popular numbers such as nine, seven or 10 are usually fought over the most.

This is because most of the world’s leading attackers also don those digits on the back of their shirts, which naturally appeals to the younger generation.

However, stars of the future may have watched on as Bellingham made the No.22 an iconic one and could look to replicate their hero.

Therefore, over the next decade, the world of football could see an increase in emerging talents choosing to select the number 22, which is all down to the influence Bellingham has.