It has inarguably been an electrifying week so far for the Bellingham household, with 17-year-old Jobe Bellingham coming up as the latest buzz in the transfer market. The Birmingham City star has signed a permanent deal with Sunderland after a month-long negotiation.
Interestingly, the news came only hours after his older brother, Jude Bellingham, finally accomplished his dream move to Real Madrid. The La Liga giants had been eyeing a move for the English star for months, with Borussia Dortmund ultimately accepting a fee of €103 million ($111 million).
Indeed, Jude has proven himself to be one of the greatest midfielders in the Bundesliga, with 8 goals and 4 assists to his name. What’s more, Jude went on to make a firm impact in the Champions League as well, scoring 4 goals out of 7 games for BVB.
However, what do we know about his brother, Jobe? Could he find himself challenging his older brother in the coming years on the field? Well, let’s do a statistical comparison between the English siblings to find out.
Jude Bellingham vs Jobe Bellingham
While we have already talked about Jude’s startling show in 2022-23, let’s shed some light on Jobe’s journey in professional soccer so far. The youngest of the Bellingham family had a rather quiet stint at Birmingham City.
Real Madrid will pay €103m fixed fee for Jude Bellingham. Final add-ons package could reach €30.9m depending on Jude & Real Madrid performances/titles. ✨
Salary will be around €10/12m, medical tests were perfect — Real believe they signed a top player for many, many years. pic.twitter.com/1XH0oKCacG
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) June 14, 2023
Much like Jude Bellingham, Jobe, too, prefers to play at the front, either as a forward or as a midfielder. After making a near-record-breaking debut in 2021 (the second-youngest debutant at the age of 16), Jobe became a regular over the 2022-23 season and made around 26 appearances for the English club However, unfortunately, he neither assisted nor scored a goal throughout the season.
Of course, the move to Sunderland could mean a change of fortunes for the young lad. Hence, only time will tell whether Jobe can actually put up a good show at Sunderland and consequently gain a bit of attraction from the Premier League, La Liga, or Serie A.
Sunderland signs Jobe from Birmingham City
There were rumors flying around in May that Birmingham City had already agreed upon a transfer fee of €3.5 million ($3.8 million) for Jobe Bellingham from Sunderland. A couple of weeks later, with the medical tests done, Sunderland officially announced their latest purchase in the ongoing transfer window.
Official, confirmed: Sunderland sign Jobe Bellingham on permanent deal from Birmingham City ⚪️🔴 #SAFC
Born in 2005, Jude’s brother will cost £3m fee. Documents signed, here we go confirmed. pic.twitter.com/2iYsOZD3vo
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) June 14, 2023
“I’m delighted to sign for Sunderland AFC and I can’t wait to get started. The opportunity for young players to move here and progress is clear, so I believe this is the perfect Club for me to continue my development,” Jobe told SAFC. “I’m grateful to everyone at Birmingham City for their support over the past 11 years and I wish them the best for the future, as I begin the next chapter of my career at the Stadium of Light.”
Overall, an exciting season lies ahead, with the majority of attention focused on the Bellingham brothers and their respective new spells. But will the pair manage to shine amid the ever-high expectations?