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Just 20 years old, Jude Bellingham already has the swagger of a superstar when scoring for England and Real Madrid.

Away from the stage of the stadium, the fearless, formidable player is focused on football rather than fame.

The midfield maestro is meeting Sky News for an exclusive interview that is a rarity as he rarely sits down with the media – with the playing career firmly the priority.

“I have a really good support network – my family, my friends, they keep me really grounded,” Bellingham said. “I don’t feel like a kid who’s at the top … I feel like I go in every day to work like everyone else, and I’m just privileged that my work I enjoy it as much as I do.

“My family keeps me grounded and they make me enjoy it every day and come home to feel quite normal.”

Normality might become harder to experience as his status soars.

Soccer Football - Spanish Super Cup - Final - Real Madrid v FC Barcelona - Al-Awwal Stadium, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - January 15, 2024 Real Madrid's Jude Bellingham celebrates with the trophy after winning the Spanish Super Cup REUTERS/Juan Medina
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Bellingham celebrates with the trophy after winning the Spanish Super Cup with Real Madrid. Pic: Reuters


Last kick of the game

This trip back to England ticked off another landmark. A first goal at Wembley – salvaging a draw in last night’s friendly with Belgium with the last kick of the game.

Pride was tinged with regret that this international break finished without a victory.

The priority is the summer and going for glory at Euro 2024 in Germany after being part of the squad that reached the final at his first tournament in 2021.

When asked for his targets: “Trophies. Being able to give my country and my team, Real Madrid, great experiences and great memories of lifting trophies.”

Winning a trophy with England’s men would end a drought going back to the 1966 World Cup.

Soccer Football - 2023 Ballon d'Or - Chatelet Theatre, Paris, France - October 30, 2023 Real Madrid's Jude Bellingham after being awarded the Kopa trophy during the awards REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq
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Bellingham after being awarded the Kopa trophy. Pic: Reuters


‘Not the best memories’

Growing up, Bellingham was a fan witnessing the misery of a group-stage exit at the 2014 World Cup and embarrassment to Iceland at Euro 2016.

“They weren’t great for England, to be fair, so it’s difficult,” he said. “I always remember watching the games with my family.

“I remember going out to Iceland, Italy [Euro 2012 quarter-finals], and that was probably my two earliest [memories] until I kind of played in the next one.

“So not the best memories from the perspective of an England fan.

“But all round it was really fun, kind of experiencing that with my brother, and always saying to each other that one day we’ll be there and, hopefully this summer we’ll be again.”

Brother Jobe, who has forged his own playing career at Sunderland having both started out at hometown club Birmingham City, will be part of the family’s extended support for Jude.

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Soccer Football - Bundesliga - Borussia Dortmund v Borussia Moenchengladbach - Signal Iduna Park, Dortmund, Germany - May 13, 2023 Borussia Dortmund's Jude Bellingham celebrates scoring their second goal REUTERS/Thilo Schmuelgen DFL REGULATIONS PROHIBIT ANY USE OF PHOTOGRAPHS AS IMAGE SEQUENCES AND/OR QUASI-VIDEO.
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Bellingham made his name at German side Borussia Dortmund. Pic: Reuters

England squad has ‘such a good environment’

In the England set-up, Jordan Henderson, who currently plays for Ajax, is one of the players that Bellingham turns to to help navigate the expectation of playing for a national team that has only recently enjoyed highs again.

“You learn from their pain if you like,” Bellingham says. “When I speak to Hendo, I’m really close with him, he tells me a lot about how lucky I am to be in this squad with such a good environment.

“It was a bit different when he was playing at the start. And I try and listen to him a lot because of the kind of role model that he is to me.

“He’s probably helped me coming into the squad and he’s helped me manage that expectation and that responsibility.”

Being adventurous with his career has also prepared him for international duty.

There was the move to Borussia Dortmund in the midst of the pandemic in 2020 from Birmingham. After collecting a German Cup during his three seasons it was time to step up to the kings of European football – Real Madrid.

“It’s been really, really tough, but really fun, adapting to life in Spain and kind of having more responsibility with the Madrid team and with the national team,” he said.

“I’m kind of just trying to soak it all in and enjoy the experience and yeah, hopefully, improve and thrive on the back of it.”

It is the most pressurised of footballing environments but he has already become integral to the team in his first season that could still end with LaLiga and Champions League titles.

England's Jude Bellingham celebrates scoring his side's second goal of the game during the international friendly match at Wembley Stadium, London. Picture date: Tuesday March 26, 2024. PA Photo. See PA story SOCCER England. Photo credit should read: Mike Egerton/PA Wire...RESTRICTIONS: Use subject to FA restrictions. Editorial use only. Commercial use only with prior written consent of the FA. No editing except cropping.
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Bellingham celebrates scoring England’s equaliser against Belgium at Wembley. Pic: PA

‘I move with the ball’

In 31 games, he has already scored 20 times and provided nine assists.

“I try and go out on the pitch and do my job and help my team win football games,” he says. “People kind of like the style which I play.

“I move with the ball and, and it’s really nice. I try to relate to the fans while I’m playing as well.”

Often the conversation goes back to club and country.

“I want the fans to feel like I’m another fan playing and representing them, because that’s what it is all about at the end of the day,” he says.

“And if they can see me and see someone that I can relate to and support, then it’s going to help the support of the team as well.

“And their support means a lot to us, more than they probably believe. So when the country is positive and when the fans are positive, the team will play better.”

He is ever the team player, but all the game’s personal accolades are destined to be filling his trophy cabinet one day.

“I wake up and I have to pinch myself, when I’m playing for England at Wembley or playing at the Bernabeu for Real Madrid,” he said.

“It’s something that I could never dreamed of happening this early, but grateful to everyone who’s played a part in my journey.”

And he is here giving back.

Being part of a Fun Football initiative is a sign of his commercial appeal as he is signed up to McDonald’s.

But it is chosen so he can inspire the next generation and ensure they have access to football – particularly those with a disability.

“What we’re seeing more of now is diversity in football, which is so important,” Bellingham says.

“Gender, race … shouldn’t matter when it comes to playing football. And it’s lovely to come here today and see the kids, regardless of who they are, what background they are from, any disabilities that they can enjoy playing football.”

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How Britain’s most notorious gangster turned up at a charity lunch to fact-check a retired detective’s talk

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How Britain's most notorious gangster turned up at a charity lunch to fact-check a retired detective's talk

Britain’s most notorious gangster and the detective who pursued him have been involved in a bizarre confrontation…at a charity lunch.

Former Detective Superintendent Ian Brown was at a Kent golf club and about to give a talk on the infamous £26m Brink’s-Mat gold robbery when he was summoned from the stage by officials.

Mr Brown, who appeared on the award-winning Sky News StoryCast podcast The Hunt For The Brink’s-Mat Gold in 2019, said: “I go outside and they say ‘he’s here’ and I say ‘who’s here’ and they say that table over there in the corner, that’s Kenny Noye with a baseball cap pulled down over his head.”

Noye stabbed to death an undercover policeman during the Brink’s-Mat investigation, but was acquitted of murder, though he was jailed for handling the stolen gold.

After his release, he used a knife again in the M25 road-rage murder of motorist Stephen Cameron.

“They said what are we going to do?” said Mr Brown.

“I said are you serving food? Well, just use plastic knives.”

Former Detective Superintendent Ian Brown
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Former Detective Superintendent Ian Brown. Pic: Robert Mulhern

Although Mr Brown had not personally arrested Noye over Brink’s-Mat he had identified him as a suspect months after the robbery.

Years later he met him during an ill-fated TV interview in which he quizzed him about his role in the robbery.

He said: “He told me everything I wanted to know except the truth. He still insists he had nothing to do with it.”

The interview was never broadcast after the prison authorities threatened to send Noye back to jail for a breach of his parole.

Read more:
What happened to the Brink’s-Mat gold?

Kenneth Noye and Stephen Cameron
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Kenneth Noye, left, and Stephen Cameron

Mr Brown, 86, said: “I went over to him and said ‘thanks for coming, nice of you to pop in’, but I don’t believe you’ve turned up with your sons and grandkids to listen to me telling how you killed a police officer.

“And he said ‘I want to make sure you don’t say I’ve been dealing drugs’ and I said ‘I’ve never said that Kenny’.”

The retired detective told Noye he wasn’t going to change his presentation just because he was there.

“He said ‘mate, I wouldn’t expect you to and I’ll come up [on stage] if you want me to’.

“Can you think how he’s turned up with his family to listen to somebody talking about you killing the police? Now, you put logic on that.”

The bizarre story emerged when I rang Mr Brown after I’d been told about the meeting.

A series of podcast documentaries from Sky News, telling compelling and unheard real life stories from around the UK.
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A Sky News podcast told the story of the Brink’s-Mat heist in 2019

I also wanted to ask him about the recent BBC hit drama series The Gold which retold the story of the Brink’s-Mat heist at Heathrow Airport in 1983.

“It was an absolute shambles, far too much dramatic licence and the real story was so much better,” said the ex-detective, whose job had been to follow the trail of the 6,800 gold bars to the US and the Caribbean.

He said he chatted to one of the show’s writers for a long time in a phone call but then heard no more.

“They invented people, changed a bit here and there and made it politically correct in so many ways. I’m just very sad that that is what people will believe.

“And I couldn’t work out who my character was supposed to be. I could have been one of the female cops.”

He also criticised the portrayal of Noye, now 78, as a likeable jack-the-lad character when the truth about the double killer with a volatile temper was quite different.

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Gallagher brothers share a high-five and hug as Oasis reunite on stage after 16 years

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Gallagher brothers share a high-five and hug as Oasis reunite on stage after 16 years

Oasis have reunited on stage for the first time in almost 16 years – with brothers Liam and Noel Gallagher sharing a high five and the briefest of hugs as they closed a performance that for fans was more than worth the wait.

After the split in 2009, for many years Noel said he would never go back – and for a long time, as the brothers exchanged insults through separate interviews (and on social media, for Liam), it seemed pretty unlikely to ever happen.

But now, here they are. As they walked out on stage at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium, all eyes were on the Gallaghers for a sense of their relationship – dare we say it, friendship? – now after all these years.

There was no reference to their fall-out or making up, but the gestures were there – lifting hands together as they walked out for the first time.

The headline "OASIS REUNITED" was shown on stage at the gig. Pic: PA
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The headline “OASIS REUNITED” was shown on stage at the gig. Pic: PA

Fans at the Oasis gig. Pic: PA
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Fans at the Oasis gig. Pic: PA

Headlines and tweets of speculation and then confirmation of the reunion filled the screens as the show started. “This is happening,” said one, repeatedly.

In the end, it was all about the music.

Liam has received criticism in the past for his voice not being what it once was during his solo or Beady Eye performances, but back on stage with his brother tonight he delivered exactly what fans would have hoped for – a raw, steely-eyed performance, snarling vocals, and the swagger that makes him arguably the greatest frontman of his day.

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This was Oasis sounding almost as good as they ever have.

Fans sang along and held up their phones to film as Oasis performed. Pic: PA
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Fans sang along and held up their phones to film as Oasis performed. Pic: PA

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Oasis: ‘It’s good to be back’

They opened with Hello, because of course, “it’s good to be back”. And then Acquiesce, and those lyrics: “Because we need each other/ We believe in one another.”

The song is said to be about friendship in the wider sense, rather than their brotherly bond and sibling rivalry, but you can’t help but feel like it means something here.

Over two hours, they played favourite after favourite – including Morning Glory, Some Might Say, Cigarettes & Alcohol, Supersonic and Roll With It.

Liam Gallagher as Oasis takes to the stage in Cardiff. Pic: PA
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Liam Gallagher as Oasis takes to the stage in Cardiff. Pic: PA

In the mid-section, Liam takes his break for Noel to sing Talk Tonight, Half The World Away and Little By Little; the tempo slows but there is by no means a lull, with the fans singing all his words back to him.

Liam returns for hits including Stand By Me, Slide Away, Whatever and Live Forever, before sending the crowd wild (or even wilder) with Rock And Roll Star.

Noel Gallagher performing on stage. Pic: PA
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Noel Gallagher performing on stage. Pic: PA

An Oasis fan is pointing at the stage during the gig. Pic: PA
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An Oasis fan is pointing at the stage during the gig. Pic: PA

When the reunion announcement was made last summer, it quickly became overshadowed by the controversy of dynamic pricing causing prices to rocket. As he has done on X before, Liam addressed the issue on stage with a joke.

“Was it worth the £4,000 you paid for the ticket?” he shouted at one point. “Yeah,” the crowd shouts back; seemingly all is forgiven.

After Rock And Roll Star, the dream that very quickly became a reality for this band, Noel introduced the rest of the group, calling Bonehead a “legend”.

Paul 'Bonehead' Arthurs of Oasis. Pic: PA
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Paul ‘Bonehead’ Arthurs of Oasis. Pic: PA

Liam Gallagher carried a tambourine in his mouth during the concert. Pic: PA
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Liam Gallagher carried a tambourine in his mouth during the concert. Pic: PA

Then he acknowledges all their young fans, some who maybe weren’t even born when they split. “This one is for all the people in their 20s who’ve never seen us before, who’ve kept this shit going,” he says before the encore starts with The Masterplan.

Noel follows with Don’t Look Back In Anger, and the screens fill with Manchester bees in reference to the arena bombing and how the song became the sound of hope and defiance for the city afterwards.

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‘I’d have paid £10,000 to see them’

Two fans sat on their friends' shoulders as Oasis performed. Pic: PA
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Two fans sat on their friends’ shoulders as Oasis performed. Pic: PA

During Wonderwall, there’s a nice touch as Liam sings to the crowd: “There are many things I would like to say to you, but I don’t speak Welsh.”

It is at the end of Champagne Supernova, which closes the set, that it happens; Noel puts down his guitar, and they come together for a high-five and a back-slap, a blink-and-you’d miss it hug.

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“Right then, beautiful people, this is it,” Liam had told the crowd as he introduced the song just a few minutes earlier. “Nice one for putting up with us over the years.”

From the roar of the audience, it’s safe to say most people here would agree it’s been worth it.

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Former Arsenal player Thomas Partey charged with rape

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Former Arsenal player Thomas Partey charged with rape

Former Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey has been charged with five counts of rape.

The 32-year-old has also been charged with one count of sexual assault.

Two of the counts of rape relate to one woman, three counts relate to a second woman, and the one count of sexual assault relates to a third woman.

The incidents are alleged to have taken place between 2021 and 2022.

Metropolitan Police said he is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday 5 August.

“The charges follow an investigation by detectives, which commenced in February 2022 after police first received a report of rape,” the force said.

Partey has just left Arsenal after his contract expired and was said to be attracting interest from clubs including Juventus, Barcelona and Fenerbahce.

The Ghanaian player was at the Emirates for five years after signing from Atletico Madrid and has also played dozens of times for his country.

His time with Arsenal was marked by recurring injuries but he played 130 times for the club in the Premier League, including 35 times last season when he scored four goals.

Detective Superintendent Andy Furphy said: “Our priority remains providing support to the women who have come forward.”

Anyone who has information about the case, or has been impacted by it, is being asked to contact the Met Police.

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