"Beautiful" footage emerges of Jude Bellingham's Birmingham City homecoming v Barcelona | OneFootball

Footage and reaction has emerged of Real Madrid and England's Jude Bellingham having his Birmingham City homecoming in a friendly against Barcelona...

Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham's rise to the very top of world football began at Birmingham City, where it quickly became clear that he was no ordinary academy graduate.

After making his senior debut as a 16-year-old, the midfielder displayed a level of composure and maturity rarely seen in someone so young. Birmingham City were so convinced they had witnessed a generational talent that, following his move to Borussia Dortmund, they made the bold decision to retire his No. 22 shirt as a tribute to his impact and potential.

Bellingham has more than justified that faith. He developed into one of Europe's finest midfielders at Dortmund before earning a blockbuster move to Real Madrid, where he has continued to establish himself among the game's elite while also becoming a cornerstone of England's side.

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Off the back of his outstanding World Cup campaign, which saw the Three Lions finish third and Bellingham score seven goals to become the first England player to net more than six times at a single tournament, Bellingham is enjoying some time off from football.

It was yet another remarkable milestone in his career. It is an achievement Birmingham supporters can take immense pride in, knowing they spotted his extraordinary talent before almost anyone else.

The Real Madrid star even made his return to St. Andrew's last night, with Blues facing Barcelona in a pre-season clash. It ended 2-2 and a penalty shootout saw Bellingham's boyhood club defeat Real Madrid's great rivals.

Ahead of kick-off, Birmingham posted the video above with the caption: "Jude. He's home."

Birmingham City fans react to Jude Bellingham's St. Andrew's homecoming

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Many Birmingham fans took to X (formerly Twitter) to respond to his homecoming, with most absolutely delighted that he was present, even just for a friendly game in pre-season.

Another Birmingham fan said: "Legend he is nananana heyyy jude"

One more of the replies stated: "That's beautiful, he will be adored by so many fans across football for many years to come, but he is humble enough to know where it all started and pay due respect."

How likely Jude Bellingham is to finish his career with Birmingham

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Words like legend are being used to describe a player that made just 44 appearances for the club, which says everything about the 23-year-old's talent. Birmingham's decision to retire Bellingham's No. 22 shirt was heavily mocked at the time, with many questioning why an unproven teenager deserved such an honour.

However, the move has since been emphatically vindicated. Bellingham has developed into one of the world's finest midfielders, winning major honours, starring for England and justifying Birmingham's belief that they had produced a once-in-a-generation talent.

Could he one day return to St. Andrew's? It may seem far-fetched now, but football has often seen elite players finish their careers where it all began. For that to happen, Birmingham would likely need to establish themselves as a stable Premier League club capable of competing financially, while Bellingham would have to decide that an emotional homecoming outweighed other opportunities elsewhere.

If those two paths eventually align, few stories in English football would be more fitting than seeing him end his career back where it all started. Is it possible? Definitely. Is it likely? Birmingham need to gain promotion before Bellingham is in his 30s, which is definitely likely on their current trajectory. Staying there will be the bigger ask.