England star Jude Bellingham has paid tribute to his mother, calling her a ‘queen’ who has been the most important person in his success.
While letting slip that his mum Denise, 54, still made his bed, which was met with jibes and teasing by his teammates, the England and Borussia Dortmund star said she was not just a maternal figure, but one of the main reasons for his rise to stardom.
‘The role my mum is playing is massive. I think at the minute it is probably the biggest role of anyone, even probably more than my coaches and managers, to be honest,’ Jude Bellingham said.
Denise, as well as his father Mark, have acted as a grounding force for the midfield star while his early career has rocketed off to the heights of world football.
Hey Jude: Jude Bellingham, left, with mother Denise, father Mark, and younger brother, Jobe Bellingham
In 2020, Bellingham signed for Borussia Dortmund for £22.5million following a breakout season with Championship and boyhood side Birmingham City.
Already loved so much by the Birmingham club and the wider city, Bellingham had his shirt number 22 retired despite just playing 44 games for the club in a fledgling career. But Birmingham’s love and admiration for Bellingham is understandable after standing out as one of England’s best players in the Qatar tournament. A bridge in Birmingham is even set to be named after the break-out star.
But when others could have lost their head and fallen off track by the plaudits and glory, Bellingham has kept focus thanks to his parents.
Denise, who works in human resources, and his father Mark, 46, a former police sergeant and non-league footballer, were sure to keep their son grounded.
Denise and Mark Bellingham were pictured in the stands before the FIFA World Cup group match between England and USA in Qatar
‘The role my mum is playing is massive. I think at the minute it is probably the biggest role of anyone,’ Bellingham said. He is pictured taking a selfie with his mum, Denise
In 2020, when Denise moved with Bellingham to Germany, she left behind Mark, who stayed with their other son Jobe – also a professional footballer for Birmingham City.
Both Bellingham and his mum Denise still live in a flat together, where she makes his bed and sometimes drives him to training.
Denise also manages her son’s financial affairs, allowing him to focus on football and not become distracted by the prestige and greed that can derail the careers of many young footballers.
But Bellingham also owes much of his success on the pitch to his father Mark, a retired non-league footballer.
Although Bellingham admitted he later grew to idolise the likes of Wayne Rooney, it was Bellingham senior’s action on the pitch that made him his first footballing hero.
Jude Bellingham is pictured in the stands with parents Denise and Mark after England’s win over Senegal in the World Cup round of 16 on December 4
Mark Bellingham, scored more than 700 goals in around 900 appearances, making him a sort of English non-league Pelé.
Mark Bellingham juggled stints at clubs including Leamington, Stourbridge and Sutton Coldfield Town with his day job as a sergeant with West Midlands Police.
Speaking about his dad to the FA in an interview, Bellingham said: ‘We talk about footballing heroes, and my dad was like my first.
‘When you go and watch him play every week in non-League, you know it’s not the Premier League or anything, but seeing the way that he played and the atmosphere, it made me fall in love with football so he was probably my first hero.
‘After the first few times of going, I’d start to pay a bit more attention to the games and stuff, the atmosphere and he’s scoring goals so you see him celebrating and stuff like that – you want that to be me.
‘Growing up, he’d always give me tips on what I could do and now it gets to a certain age and it sort of flips and that’s brilliant because we have that sort of relationship like father and son and then as I got older, like coach and player.’
