sport news Jadon Sancho helped 17-year-old Jude Bellingham settle in at Dortmund before ... trends now
With the Champions League final being staged at Wembley, it's only fitting some Englishmen are on the pitch.
Given he plays for Real Madrid, there was always a reasonable chance Jude Bellingham would grace this showpiece occasion under the Arch on June 1.
The fact Jadon Sancho will be lining up against him for Borussia Dortmund is something nobody saw coming a few months ago.
The pair are, of course, former Dortmund team-mates and get on well off the field, with Sancho - four years the elder - helping Bellingham settle in when he moved to Germany as a 17-year-old in 2020.
Indeed, the success of Sancho following his own move to Germany as a teenager and his quick elevation to regular first-team football were key factors in Bellingham deciding to sign there rather than Manchester United or elsewhere.
Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham (left) and Manchester United star Jadon Sancho (right) celebrate together in 2021 after helping their Borussia Dortmund side win the German Cup
Bellingham comforts Sancho following his missed penalty for England in the Euro 2020 final
Bellingham celebrates after helping Real reach the Champions League final at Wembley
Sancho in the thick of Borussia Dortmund's celebrations after they beat PSG to make the final
The intervening years have seen very different career trajectories for the English duo.
Bellingham, now 20, has seen his stock rise continually to the point where he is almost certainly the world's best young player.
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Having excelled during three seasons at Dortmund, Bellingham has taken an £88million move to Europe's most successful club in one of his long strides.
He could end his first Bernabeu season with a LaLiga and Champions League double, having made numerous decisive contributions, and a host of personal accolades will surely follow.
In the summer, he will carry England's hopes at Euro 2024 on his young shoulders and yet Bellingham plays like he feels no burden.
When Man United paid £73m to buy Sancho from Dortmund in 2021, the winger was one of Europe's hottest talents and it seemed a match made in heaven.
Unfortunately, Sancho's career has come off the rails, with uninspiring form, mental health concerns and a fall-out with Erik ten Hag turning his Old Trafford dream sour.
Such is the sense of dysfunction at United, it's difficult to know where the blame on Sancho stops though the player certainly hasn't helped himself.
Bellingham arrived at German outfit Borussia Dortmund from Birmingham back in July 2020
It was Sancho, four years his senior, who helped Bellingham settle in to life at Dortmund
The pair struck up a strong rapport, with Bellingham thanking Sancho for giving him support
So at a time when United are struggling to even make the Conference League next season, with Ten Hag battling to save his job, it's ironic a player banished to train with the youth teams last autumn is now in a Champions League final.
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Ten Hag has tried to paint Sancho's revitalisation on loan at Dortmund as a positive thing for United - not least for his resale value - but it doesn't reflect well on him or his club.
Football is full of sliding doors moments, but consider the probable course of events had Sancho fallen back into line and apologised to Ten Hag after his social media outburst back in September.
He'd probably have come off the bench with United 4-0 down to Crystal Palace on Monday
