“I played with Jude Bellingham – I know what his attitude was backstage”

Former Birmingham City captain Harlee Dean has recalled the humble attitude of Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham during his time at St Andrew's. After joining the Blues at under-8 level, Bellingham rose through the ranks and made his first team debut at 16 years and 38 days old, becoming the club's youngest player when he started against Portsmouth in the Cup EFL.

Yet it was his home debut – in which he came on in the first half to score the winner in a 2-1 comeback against Stoke City – that former captain Dean cited as the sliding door moment for young Bellingham.

The long-serving Birmingham and Brentford defender revealed his awe not only at the skills a Bellingham teenager possessed in abundance, but also at his honest and humble attitude behind the scenes.

“He grew up as a kid, and I'll be honest, I didn't make a big deal of him – we had a few kids coming up,” Dean began, speaking on the Under The Cosh podcast. “We had enough problems, the last thing I needed to worry about was whether this kid was any good. It was just about staying awake every year.

“The only thing I remember is when he made his debut, it was Stoke at home, and I think someone went off injured early, and we looked, and I saw that 'They were bringing Jude in, and I'm like, “Holy shit, we don't need this right now.”

“[He’s] 16 maybe, like just, “We don't need this right now, we need someone I know we can trust,” but how wrong was I? The kid arrived, that was all. F*****ga scored, then never looked back from there.

The Bellingham Blues conceded the first goal of their first home game in the 58th minute, but, with the match level after 73 minutes, a chance slightly deflected shot from the then 16-year-old midfielder sealed their victory. title of Birmingham City's youngest goal. scorer.

“Every day in practice, if you had that on your team, you won,” Dean added. “The best player ever, but also so humble with it. He would take a nutmeg from you, take it with six people, put it in the upstairs bins and wouldn't smile, party or give it big. He was just going to do it again, and that was it. Damn, that's scary.

“If you crush him, he will crush you back; I loved that. I loved it. I loved everything it stood for, but I never thought it would become what it did.

“You can't, can you?” How do you know? I think without his mindset and all that, he wouldn't have been that. But yes, a different, different player.

Just a year after his goal against Stoke, Bellingham was a Borussia Dortmund player. Fast forward to 2024, and the midfielder is not only a talisman for Real Madrid, but also a vital part of the England set-up.