Jobe Bellingham Discusses His Transition to Borussia Dortmund

Jobe Bellingham has shared his experience after recently joining Borussia Dortmund and scoring his first goal for the team. Having transferred from Sunderland for an initial fee of £27.8 million plus an additional £4 million in performance-based add-ons, Bellingham is currently representing Dortmund at the Club World Cup.

He made an impressive debut by netting in a 4-3 victory against Mamelodi Sundowns during the group stage. The 19-year-old midfielder is following in the footsteps of his older brother Jude, who played for Dortmund from 2020 to 2023 before moving to Real Madrid, where he has won both the Champions League and La Liga titles.

In a recent interview, Bellingham expressed his positive feelings about settling into his new club. “It’s really good. I met the team and signed my contract before flying out. I feel like I’m starting to settle in,” he said. Despite the challenge of moving and immediately heading abroad, he mentioned that teammates have helped make the transition smoother and that he’s been enjoying the experience.

Interestingly, Jobe shared that he prefers having his first name “Jobe” on the back of his shirt instead of his surname “Bellingham.” He explained that the idea originated when he signed for Sunderland, encouraged by those around him, including a coach from his youth days. He finds it “quite cool” and “unique” to wear his own name.

Bellingham also revealed that he draws inspiration from legendary midfielders such as Patrick Vieira and Steven Gerrard. “I watch clips of players like Vieira and Gerrard to learn — I even find it strange because Vieira seemed more defensive, but I see that he was versatile, doing everything,” he said. Additionally, he admires Diego Maradona’s documentary, though he feels he cannot learn directly from his exceptional talent.