Last updated: October 9, 2026.
Jude Bellingham scored seven goals at the 2026 World Cup, the most by an England player at a single tournament. The record had belonged to Gary Lineker for almost 40 years. England finished third.
The Jude Bellingham family is the reason he got there so young. His father scored more than 700 goals in non-league football while working as a police officer. His mother moved to Germany with him when he was 17, then to Spain when he was 19. His younger brother now plays for the club where Jude made his name.
Who Are Jude Bellingham’s Parents?
Jude Bellingham’s parents are Mark and Denise Bellingham. Jude was born in Stourbridge, in the West Midlands, on June 29, 2003, and is the older of their two sons.
Mark is a former West Midlands Police sergeant and a well-known name in non-league football. Denise has spent most of the past six years living abroad with Jude. According to the Express & Star, the two of them took over the management of their sons’ careers after Mark retired from the police.
Jobe once summed up what the brothers think of them: “Before being great parents, they’re great people.”
Who Is Mark Bellingham, His Father?
Mark Bellingham was born in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, in 1976 and later moved to the West Midlands. He joined West Midlands Police, rose to the rank of sergeant, and stayed with the force until 2022.
Football was his second job for more than two decades. He played as a striker for a long list of non-league clubs, including Halesowen Town, Stourbridge, Sutton Coldfield Town, Leamington and Bromsgrove Sporting. He is credited with more than 700 career goals. At Leamington alone he scored 79 times in 87 games.
It nearly ended early. The Express & Star reports that a second torn cruciate ligament almost finished his career in 2001. He kept going into the late 2010s, finishing at Southam United, and then moved on to veterans’ football.
Jude grew up watching all of it from the touchline. By the time he joined Birmingham City’s academy as a boy, he had already spent years around dressing rooms, team talks and Saturday afternoons at small grounds.
Since leaving the police, Mark has worked as the representative for both of his sons. He was involved when Jude joined Real Madrid in June 2023 and when Jobe moved to Borussia Dortmund two years later.
Who Is Denise Bellingham, His Mother?
Denise Bellingham is the parent who went with Jude each time he moved. When he left Birmingham City for Borussia Dortmund in 2020, he was 17. Denise moved to Dortmund with him. Mark stayed in England with Jobe, who was still in Birmingham’s academy.
For three years the family lived in two countries, with one parent looking after each son. When Jude signed for Real Madrid in 2023, Denise moved again, this time to Spain.
She rarely gives interviews and has kept a low public profile. Details of her own career and background have not been set out by the family, so we have not included them here.
Who Is Jobe Bellingham, His Brother?
Jobe Bellingham is Jude’s only sibling. He was born in 2005, two years after Jude, and is also a midfielder.
He followed the same early path. He came through Birmingham City’s academy and made his first-team debut there at 16. In the summer of 2023 he moved to Sunderland, where he scored 11 goals in 90 games.
In June 2025 he joined Borussia Dortmund for an initial £27.8 million, a record sale for Sunderland. That put him at the same club his brother had left two years earlier.
His first Bundesliga match brought the family into the headlines. Jobe was taken off at half-time in a 3-3 draw at St. Pauli in August 2025. Reports afterwards said that Mark confronted Dortmund’s sporting director about the substitution, and that the club then restricted access to the dressing room area. Neither Mark nor Jobe has commented publicly on it.
What Is Jude Bellingham’s Family Background?
Jude Bellingham is English and has mixed heritage. His father’s side of the family has Irish roots and comes from Essex. Published accounts of his mother’s family background differ, and Denise has not spoken about it herself, so we are not stating one as fact.
Jude has played for England at every level from the youth teams upwards. He has not spoken publicly about his religious beliefs.
Where Did Jude Bellingham Grow Up?
Jude Bellingham grew up in Stourbridge, a market town in the West Midlands. He went to Priory School in Edgbaston, Birmingham. In 2021 he completed a BTEC Level 3 in sport through Loughborough College, by which time he was already a professional footballer in Germany.
He has not lived in England full-time since he was 17.
How Did His Family Shape His Career?
Jude came through Birmingham City’s academy. On August 6, 2019 he started a League Cup tie at Portsmouth aged 16 years and 38 days. That made him the youngest first-team player in the club’s history, a record Trevor Francis had held since 1970.
Later that month he scored the winner against Stoke City on his home debut. He finished the season with four goals in 44 appearances.
The choice of his next club was a family decision. Bigger English clubs were interested. The Bellinghams picked Borussia Dortmund, a club known for giving teenagers regular first-team football, for an initial fee of £25 million. Birmingham retired his number 22 shirt when he left.
Three years later he joined Real Madrid on a six-year contract. Dortmund received a base fee of €103 million. In his first season in Spain he won La Liga and the Champions League, aged 20.
Bellingham and Thomas Tuchel: What Happened?
The year before the World Cup was an awkward one for Bellingham with England. His family was pulled into it from the start.
- June 2025: Head coach Thomas Tuchel said in an interview that his own mother found some of Bellingham’s behaviour on the pitch “repulsive.” He later apologised.
- October 2025: Bellingham, back from shoulder surgery, was left out of the squad to face Wales and Latvia. Tuchel said there was “no problem” between them and that the player lacked match rhythm.
- November 2025: Bellingham was taken off late in a 2-0 win in Albania and waved his arms in frustration. Tuchel said he had to accept the decision. Former England striker Ian Wright defended him publicly.
Tuchel named Bellingham in his World Cup squad in May 2026. What happened next settled the argument.
How Did Jude Bellingham Do at the 2026 World Cup?
Jude Bellingham scored seven goals in the tournament and won the Bronze Boot. He scored in the opening 4-2 win over Croatia and again against Panama. He scored twice in two minutes against Mexico in the round of 16, then twice more against Norway in a quarter-final that went to extra time.
England lost their semi-final 2-1 to Argentina on July 15. Three days later Bellingham scored his seventh goal in a 6-4 win over France in the third-place match.
The goalless group game against Ghana was his 50th cap. He was 22, the youngest England player to reach that mark.
His record at major tournaments now reads:
- Euro 2020: England reached the final.
- World Cup 2022: England reached the quarter-finals.
- Euro 2024: He scored a 95th-minute overhead kick against Slovakia to keep England in the tournament. England reached the final.
- World Cup 2026: Seven goals. England finished third.
How Was His 2025-26 Season at Real Madrid?
It was a disrupted season. Bellingham had surgery on a long-standing shoulder problem in July 2025 and returned in September, earlier than expected. In October he scored the winning goals against Juventus in the Champions League and against Barcelona in La Liga within a week.
The club changed direction in the middle of the season. Xabi Alonso left as head coach in January 2026 and Álvaro Arbeloa replaced him. Bellingham finished with eight goals in 40 appearances for the club.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Jude Bellingham’s father? Mark Bellingham, a former West Midlands Police sergeant who scored more than 700 goals in non-league football. He now represents both of his sons.
Who is Jude Bellingham’s mother? Denise Bellingham. She moved to Germany with Jude in 2020 and to Spain in 2023.
Does Jude Bellingham have a brother? Yes. Jobe Bellingham, born in 2005, plays in midfield for Borussia Dortmund. He has no other siblings.
Where is Jude Bellingham from? He was born and raised in Stourbridge, in England’s West Midlands.
How old was Jude Bellingham when he made his debut? He was 16 years and 38 days old when he first played for Birmingham City in August 2019.
How many goals did he score at the 2026 World Cup? Seven, a record for an England player at one World Cup.
Sources
- Express & Star: Who is Jude Bellingham’s dad?
- Wikipedia: Mark Bellingham, club-by-club playing record
- Wikipedia: Jude Bellingham, career record and appearances
- Sky Sports: Jobe Bellingham completes move to Borussia Dortmund
- Sky Sports: England 1-2 Argentina match report
- ESPN: Real Madrid end contract with Alonso, Arbeloa named coach
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