Not many English footballers have had an impact on the England national team even though they are still not officially mature. Wayne Rooney and Theo Walcott is the only one doing it in the modern era, which gives you an idea of ​​the caliber of Jude Bellingham.

Those who watch Borussia DortmundThe Champions League win over Sevilla on Tuesday could not be helped but has noticed the maturing of the 17-year-old at the heart of a midfield in one of Europe’s best teams.

The difference is that while Rooney grew up in the full light of the Premier League’s publicity, notoriously scored the winner in the dying minutes. Armory when just 16 years old, or in Walcott’s case transferring from Southampton For Arsenal at 17, Bellingham is not a very familiar player to the English crowd.

Namely, apart from Birmingham City fans, who saw him at St Andrews last season aged 16 before the lockdown.

His 17 minutes against the Republic of Ireland for his England debut when he was 17 years and 136 days was a glimpse of him at home, making him the third youngest player to play for England after Walcott (17 years and 75 days) and Rooney (17 years and 111 days). day).

But we may all see him here more often this summer. It seems that Gareth Southgate will be tempted to include him in his squad for the pending Euros if his progress continues, even though the coronavirus rules mean he may not be able to make the squad this month.

The FA hopes he will be allowed to travel from Germany and be freed from quarantine restrictions so he can play a role in European Under-21 Championship matches or the senior squad.

Jan Aage Fjortoft, a former Swindon and Middlesbrough striker, watches Borussia Dortmund every week for Norwegian TV company NENT, and doesn’t need to be convinced of his abilities. “What sets him apart is week after week he gets the responsibility of running the game for the team that is in the Champions League quarter-finals,” said Fjortoft.

“ And when you start comparing them to players of that age who run team games, they are very rare, so I’m sure of Jadon Sancho’s combination. [also at Dortmund] and Bellingham are very high on Gareth Southgate’s list. Certainly.

Bellingham is England’s third youngest player after Theo Walcott and Wayne Rooney

‘This is very rare [to have a 17-year-old in central midfield] and the team rarely received it. This is a 17 year old player who came from Birmingham to Dortmund, where they want to challenge for the title and the Champions League and they give him that responsibility.

‘And that’s the funny part of football. Because when you come to the football field, it has nothing to do with age. You only know who will receive the ball every second. And he was completely accepted [to play that role] in Dortmund. In his position, he can go far.

The prospect was told he would be given the chance to start at Dortmund if he volunteered

‘Remember that Borussia Dortmund have Germany’s greatest talent [Youssoufa Moukoko, 16], America’s greatest talent [Giovanni Reyna, 18], Norway’s greatest talent [Erling Haaland, 20] Britain’s two greatest talents [Sancho, 20, Bellingham, 17]. It was incredible.

“ And what I see in these young players is that they have taken another step this season. Why? Because the leaders on the team, Mats Hummels, Emre Can and Marco Reus, they weren’t always at their best which means players like Jude and Erling have to take a bit of that leadership mentality. And they have taken a big step.

‘The position Jude plays, he can run the game from there. In Germany they use numbers to define a player, so he is player number 6 [deeper midfield] or No.8 [more attacking midfield] or Not 10 [playmaker].

“ And the good thing about Jude is he can play in one of these positions, he can play No 8, he has an overview of the game, he can play behind the attackers. He is very versatile. ‘

The midfielder is supported by his family – father Mark, mother Denise, and brother Jobe

Bellingham’s decision to reject Manchester United and choose Dortmund, following in Sancho’s footsteps, was also bold. He was well guided in the process.

Her mother shares an apartment with her in Dortmund, while her father, Mark, a police officer, looks after Bellingham’s brother, Jobe, 15, who is still with Birmingham. Mark is a striker in the non-League, scoring more than 700 goals for the likes of Leamington, Stourbridge and Halesowen Town.

“ The night game, the full-time whistle will sound and you will see Mark running off the pitch, jumping into the bathroom, getting into his car and starting the police turn at 10 p.m., ” Jason Cadden, who is his Leamington manager, told Non-League Papers. “I don’t know how he did it.”

Bellingham Senior scored 48 goals that season [2008-09] to secure promotion to the First Division.

Scouts who observed Jude as a child say that his qualities stand out even though his body is relatively fragile. His growth spurt in his mid-teens then allowed his qualities to shine through so much that, a year ago, elite Premier League clubs were in line to sign him.

Bellingham believes he is in the best place given Dortmund’s reputation for improving players

But his parents prioritized his development as a footballer over the inevitable big money being offered and he ended up at Europe’s most famous club for bringing in young players.

“ The steps he’s taken tell you about Dortmund as a place where players go from being a good player to being a great player, ” said Fjortoft, who watched as Bellingham became the youngest Englishman to start a Champions League match while he was playing. against Lazio in Rome in October.

“ I spoke with Michael Zorc, a former Dortmund captain who is director of football at Dortmund, and Sebastian Kehl, a former captain, who is now a sports manager. The man is 17 years old and he is at the starting line. And I said to them: “Wow, you just threw it in!”

“And they say:” That’s what this club is all about. We promised him that if he joins us he will have the opportunity to play with and against the very best. This is what we do “.

“And there are big names on the bench. It just shows Dortmund’s philosophy and why these young players chose to play for Dortmund.

‘That said, every promise made was fulfilled. Bellingham was never given the guarantee that he would start a match, only that his chances would be there if he implemented it himself. He certainly has. ‘