sport news Jude Bellingham has put the market town of Stourbridge on the map trends now
Opposite St Thomas’s church, towards the southern end of Market Street in the main shopping area, England’s best young footballer for a generation stares down from a wall, ready to lead his country to their first World Cup since 1966.
Jude Bellingham does not turn 20 until June but already he is one of the most famous children of Stourbridge, a market town in the Midlands located 15 miles west of Birmingham. When he locks horns with Kylian Mbappe and France at the Al Bayt Stadium in Saturday’s World Cup quarter-final, Stourbridge will hold its breath for their home-grown global superstar.
Birmingham artist Gent 48 has created a 12ft-high mural of Bellingham in his home town, where fans are already drawing comparisons with one of the Black Country’s finest players.
Jude Bellingham has been in sparkling form for England during their run in Qatar
There is a 12 ft mural of Bellingham in his hometown of Stourbridge
Duncan Edwards, the former Manchester United and England midfielder, died aged just 21 after the Munich air disaster in 1958, yet is still considered one of the greatest footballers the country has ever produced.
Those who have followed Bellingham’s career from an early age believe he has similar potential, and there are striking resemblances between the two.
They were born less than three miles apart, Bellingham in Stourbridge, Edwards in Brierley Hill. Both broke into the England team as teenagers, and had scored before they reached the age of 20. Both were all-purpose midfielders who excelled in every aspect of the role.
Hurrying through town on a bitter Tuesday morning, locals are nonetheless happy to stop beside the mural as they leave the Ryemarket Shopping Centre.
‘He’s on the cusp of becoming the next Duncan Edwards,’ says Steve Hutchinson, 70. ‘It’s quite surprising in some ways because his dad, Mark, used to play for Stourbridge and scored a lot.’
‘It gives the kids in the area someone to look up to,’ adds his wife Janet, 65. ‘If they can see someone from the town doing this well, it gives everyone a lift.
Bellingham is adored in the Midlands market town that he grew up in
‘Football is not really my thing but of course I appreciate it when we have a talent like this from the town. He seems a good role model, too, not “up himself”.’
On the corner of Talbot Street, the length of a Bellingham midfield charge away from the mural, the Cafe Express is doing a roaring trade. Slade’s Merry Christmas Everybody blares from the radio, accompanied by the clink and clatter of cups and cutlery, and the chatter is of Christmas plans and the Earthshot environmental prize backed by Prince William. For some patrons, the festive season has already become a bore. ‘It seems to start earlier every year,’ complains one.
At least they have a World Cup to distract them, and if a local boy is shining on the global stage, then so much the better.
‘We have had a few people here during the last few days, saying that Jude Bellingham has put Stourbridge on the map,’ says the owner. ‘It is fantastic for the town.’
The world’s elite have noticed, with Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi revealing on Tuesday that his club have set their sights on Bellingham.
‘Everybody wants him, I’m not going to hide it,’ said Al-Khelaifi. ‘England are lucky to have him. He’s one of the best players in the tournament.’
