The explanation for Jobe Bellingham’s lack of a surname on the shirt’s back
The Sunderland guy made the audacious decision to not wear the name of Bellingham on his shirt, and here’s why:
At Sunderland, Jobe Bellingham has elected to have his last name removed from his shirt.
With two goals and the Player of the Month honour for August, Jobe Bellingham has had a terrific start for Sunderland.
Jobe hasn’t necessarily advanced as swiftly in his career as his brother, but he is on the correct path and has a chance to establish himself at Sunderland.
Jobe Bellingham secured a move of his own this summer as he left Birmingham City for Sunderland, while his famous brother made the earth-shattering move to Real Madrid. Jude Bellingham’s brother would make it simple for the youngster to capitalise on the midfielder’s fame and the weight that the Bellingham name now carries, but the 17-year-old isn’t built that way and has instead asked to keep his last name off of his shirt this season.
The choice wasn’t easy however; Sunderland had to ask the EFL for permission for the young player to have his last name taken off of his shirt. It has also been made clear why he made this decision, and it is a fairly admirable one.
Exactly why did Jobe Bellingham remove his last name from his shirt?
In order to create his own legacy separate from the fame that surrounds his brother, the 17-year-old will start wearing shirts with his first name instead of his surname starting this season. While Jude is making headlines across the world and for all the good reasons, his younger brother wants to establish his own identity in football and avoid being associated just with the Real Madrid player.
That much was disclosed by Sunderland manager Tony Mowbray, who told reporters, “I think he’s trying to build his own personality. He wants to be the footballer he is and demonstrate his abilities, not rely on his brother’s reputation to support himself.
It would have been simple for the Black Cats player to capitalise on his brother’s position as one of the top midfielders in football right now to advance his own career, so the choice to walk out of his brother’s shadow and choose the difficult route is impressive, especially at the age of just 17. It appears that it won’t take long given how things have started at the Stadium of Light too.
Jobe Bellingham joined Sunderland on June 14, the same day his brother signed with Real Madrid, and his move initially went unnoticed, but that didn’t last long. The midfielder has made an outstanding start at the club and has already paid back Mowbray’s faith when he brought him into the fold.
He has already scored twice in just five games for the Championship team, swiftly establishing himself as a key player in the group. In fact, the 17-year-old has already been recognised by the organisation; for his achievements in August, he was named Sunderland’s Player of the Month, demonstrating that his time in the North East couldn’t have started off any better.
Being only a few months away from turning 18, the gifted young man will only continue to improve going forward, making the decision to bring him to the Stadium of Light already seem like a brilliant one. After Bellingham’s two goals helped the team defeat their opponent, Mowbray expressed his admiration for what he had witnessed and called Bellingham “a joy to work with.”
What kind of progress have the Bellingham brothers’ careers made so far?
The similarities in the two brothers’ seasons at their respective new teams this year are actually rather unsettling. The two players were signed on the very same day, and the very next day, Jobe scored a brace for Sunderland against Rotherham while Jude scored twice and added an assist. These were both players’ greatest performances to date for respective sides.
Jobe will be expecting to follow a similar path given how successful the older brother’s career has been since his move from Birmingham back in 2020. Jude made his debut for the Blues in 2019 and played for the club’s first team for an entire season before transferring to Borussia Dortmund. But because of his influence and talent, which were obvious to all, Birmingham made the bold choice to retire his shirt number.
The Englishman thrived in the Bundesliga and really came into his own as a world-class athlete, proving that the decision to transfer to Germany was the right one. Because of his rapid growth at Dortmund, it was not surprising when Real Madrid approached him this summer to secure his dream transfer to the Bernabeu. Bellingham scored five goals and had one assist in his first four games for the Spanish powerhouses, and things have only gotten better from there. Even additional resemblances to his younger brother were highlighted by his selection as their Player of the Month for August.
Despite the fact that Jobe’s career hasn’t taken off as swiftly as his brother’s, he is unquestionably on the correct path. He gained a berth in the club’s first squad last year after making only three appearances for Birmingham during the 2021–2022 season. In spite of the fact that he only saw action in 23 games for the team last season, he made an impression on Sunderland with his performance in those few minutes. The deal gives Jobe the chance to advance his own game and leave a club that will always link him to his brother, even though a move to the Stadium of Light isn’t quite as spectacular as one to Dortmund like his brother.
As you can see from the table below, their records at Birmingham during their brief time with the club’s senior team do make for interesting reading. It doesn’t really feel fair to compare their careers as a whole at this time because Jude has several more years as a regular first-team footballer.
Jobe may not end up being the player his older brother looks destined to be, but he is already displaying many qualities that suggest he will develop into a good football player on his own, free from the burden of the Bellingham name.
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