Jude Bellingham: I go to work like everyone else and feel quite normal

Published

1 year ago

March 27, 2024

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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.

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.

‘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.

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.

‘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.”

UK

Diogo Jota: Liverpool players join mourners as Premier League star and his brother Andre Silva buried in Portugal

Published

2 hours ago

July 5, 2025

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Diogo Jota: Liverpool players join mourners as Premier League star and his brother Andre Silva buried in Portugal

Liverpool players past and present have joined the family and friends of Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva for their funeral in Portugal.

A service was held in the Igreja Matriz de Gondomar church in their hometown of Gondomar near Porto in northern Portugal on Saturday morning.

Mourners lined the streets and some in the crowd clapped as the brothers’ coffins were carried into the church.

The funeral – in pictures

Jota, 28, leaves behind his wife of only 11 days, Rute Cardoso, and three young children.

His younger brother, 25, was an attacking midfielder for Penafiel in the second tier of Portuguese football.

Liverpool manager Arne Slot, captain Virgil Van Dijk and teammates including Andy Robertson, Conor Bradley, Ryan Gravenberch, Cody Gakpo, Curtis Jones, Darwin Nunez and Joe Gomez were seen at the service.

Former teammates Jordan Henderson, James Milner and Fabinho were also there.

Van Dijk carried a red wreath with Jota’s number 20, while Robertson had a wreath featuring number 30, Silva’s number at Penafiel.

Some of Jota’s teammates in the Portuguese national side also attended, including Bruno Fernandes, of Manchester United, Ruben Dias and Bernardo Silva, of Manchester City, Joao Felix and Renato Veiga, of Chelsea, Nelson Semedo, from Wolves, Joao Moutinho and Rui Patricio.

Ruben Neves was one of the pallbearers after flying in from Florida where he played for Al Hilal in the Club World Cup quarter-final on Friday night.

‘More than a friend’

In a post published on Instagram before the service, he told Jota he had been “more than a friend, we’re family, and we won’t stop being that way just because you’ve decided to sign a contract a little further away from us!”

Jota’s fellow Liverpool midfielder, Alexis Mac Allister, said on Instagram: “I can’t believe it. I’ll always remember your smiles, your anger, your intelligence, your camaraderie, and everything that made you a person. It hurts so much; we’ll miss you. Rest in peace, dear Diogo.”

Porto FC president Andre Villas-Boas and Portugal national team manager Roberto Martinez were also in attendance.

‘With us forever’

Speaking after the ceremony, Martinez said the period since their deaths had been “really, really sad days, as you can imagine, but today we showed we are a large, close family.

“Their spirit will be with us forever.”

The service was private, but the words spoken by the Bishop of Porto, Manuel Linda, were broadcast to those standing outside the church.

He told Jota’s children, who were not at the service, that he was praying for them specifically, as well as their mother and grandparents.

“There are no words, but there are feelings,” he said, adding: “We also suffer a lot and we are with you emotionally.”

The brothers died after a Lamborghini they were travelling in burst into flames following a suspected tyre blowout in the early hours of Thursday morning.

No other vehicles are said to have been involved in the incident.

Liverpool have delayed the return of their players for pre-season following Jota’s death and players past and present paid tribute to him and his brother on social media.

Flowers have been left outside Anfield, where flags have been lowered to half-mast and all club shops, museums and tours have been closed until Monday.

UK

Rachel Reeves hints at tax rises in autumn budget after welfare bill U-turn

Published

5 hours ago

July 5, 2025

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Rachel Reeves hints at tax rises in autumn budget after welfare bill U-turn

Rachel Reeves has hinted that taxes are likely to be raised this autumn after a major U-turn on the government’s controversial welfare bill.

Sir Keir Starmer’s Universal Credit and Personal Independent Payment Bill passed through the House of Commons on Tuesday after multiple concessions and threats of a major rebellion.

MPs ended up voting for only one part of the plan: a cut to universal credit (UC) sickness benefits for new claimants from £97 a week to £50 from 2026/7.

Initially aimed at saving £5.5bn, it now leaves the government with an estimated £5.5bn black hole – close to breaching Ms Reeves’s fiscal rules set out last year.

In an interview with The Guardian, the chancellor did not rule out tax rises later in the year, saying there were “costs” to watering down the welfare bill.

“I’m not going to [rule out tax rises], because it would be irresponsible for a chancellor to do that,” Ms Reeves told the outlet.

“We took the decisions last year to draw a line under unfunded commitments and economic mismanagement.

“So we’ll never have to do something like that again. But there are costs to what happened.”

Meanwhile, The Times reported that, ahead of the Commons vote on the welfare bill, Ms Reeves told cabinet ministers the decision to offer concessions would mean taxes would have to be raised.

The outlet reported that the chancellor said the tax rises would be smaller than those announced in the 2024 budget, but that she is expected to have to raise tens of billions more.

It comes after Ms Reeves said she was “totally” up to continuing as chancellor after appearing tearful at Prime Minister’s Questions.

Criticising Sir Keir for the U-turns on benefit reform during PMQs, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said the chancellor looked “absolutely miserable”, and questioned whether she would remain in post until the next election.

Sir Keir did not explicitly say that she would, and Ms Badenoch interjected to say: “How awful for the chancellor that he couldn’t confirm that she would stay in place.”

In her first comments after the incident, Ms Reeves said she was having a “tough day” before adding: “People saw I was upset, but that was yesterday.

“Today’s a new day and I’m just cracking on with the job.”

Sir Keir also told Sky News’ political editor Beth Rigby on Thursday that he “didn’t appreciate” that Ms Reeves was crying in the Commons.

“In PMQs, it is bang, bang, bang,” he said. “That’s what it was yesterday.

“And therefore, I was probably the last to appreciate anything else going on in the chamber, and that’s just a straightforward human explanation, common sense explanation.”

UK

Diogo Jota and Andre Silva’s funeral in pictures

Published

6 hours ago

July 5, 2025

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Diogo Jota and Andre Silva's funeral in pictures

The family and friends of Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva have been joined by Liverpool stars past and present and other Portuguese players at the pair’s funeral near Porto.

The Liverpool forward, 28, and his brother died in a car crash in Spain on Thursday.

Pictures below show the funeral at the Igreja Matriz de Gondomar church in the town of Gondomar near Porto. Click here for our liveblog coverage of the day’s events.