Why Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham once threatened to leave Birmingham City | OneFootball

Jude Bellingham once threatened to leave Birmingham City prior to his rise to St Andrew's stardom

Jude Bellingham once threatened to leave Birmingham City after becoming unhappy with academy coach Mike Dodds and some of the methods used to try and help the midfielder.

The 22-year-old has established himself as a world star over the past few years, after initially breaking through at Blues, before joining Borussia Dortmund for around £25m and then securing a switch to Real Madrid, where he has won the Champions League.

As well as that, Bellingham is a key figure for England, and Three Lions supporters hope he will play a central role for Thomas Tuchel’s side when they try to win the World Cup in North America next year.

Jude Bellingham is appreciated at Birmingham City - but he nearly quit on Blues

Despite his superstar status, Bellingham always remembers where it all started for him, and he has been involved with Blues over their recent stadium plans.

The Stourbridge-born midfielder is fondly remembered by Birmingham as well, with the money from his sale to Dortmund coming at a crucial period for the club as they faced financial difficulty. Plus, there is understandably a sense of pride that Blues have managed to produce a talent like Bellingham.

However, it appears Bellingham’s journey at Blues could have turned out differently, as the Mirror has revealed, as per the Telegraph, that the Real Madrid man threatened to leave the Midlands outfit during his academy days.

They explain how the single-minded Bellingham would often question coaches about what they were trying to do, and, at one stage, he fell out with academy chief Dodds, and he even talked about leaving.

Obviously, that didn’t happen, and the duo have a good relationship, with Dodds having played a big role in helping Bellingham fulfil his potential.

Jude Bellingham’s mentality has helped him reach the top after Birmingham City exit

This is an interesting insight into what Bellingham was like as a youngster, and it shows that he has always been driven and ready to do whatever it takes to become successful.

That attitude has helped him become the player he is today, and you can still see he has that competitive edge every time that he takes to the pitch.

Some will say he shouldn’t have been challenging the coaches, but, again, it’s Bellingham’s personality, and it has obviously served him well!

Birmingham will be delighted that they managed to retain him as a youngster, and whilst he only played one full season in royal blue, his contribution is valued, and it’s clear to everyone that the club has a place in Bellingham’s heart.

He's a modern-day legend at Birmingham and was recently named in a fan-voted all-time Blues XI - which is a testament to how he won the hearts of Bluenoses all over despite only having a brief senior career at St Andrew's.

So, all connected to the club will wish Bellingham well in his career, and there will be a hope that he can return one day, when Birmingham will hope to be in the Premier League as Knighthead's ambitious project continues to motor on.