Jude Bellingham heaps praise on former Birmingham City figure after starring role in England’s World Cup win | OneFootball

Jude Bellingham heaped praise on former Birmingham City academy figure Mike Dodds as he reflected on his rise to scoring for England at the World Cup.

The 19-year-old starred for the Three Lions as they beat Iran 6-2 in their first game at Qatar and many are predicting big things for Bellingham over the coming weeks as Gareth Southgate’s men look to win the tournament.

Of course, all Blues fans are delighted to see the academy graduate do well on the big stage, as they remember just how good he was when he broke into the team, whilst the initial £25m that Borussia Dortmund paid for the midfielder helped the club financially.

And, it’s fair to say Bellingham still has a soft spot for his boyhood club, as he explained to the Lions Den on YouTube, which also saw him praise Dodds for helping him develop as a player and a person.

“I can’t put into words how much Blues means to me for how much they have done. I’ve got to keep trying to represent the people that made me.

“You can see the way I play is very free and I do things that feel natural, and that is because of the way he (Dodds) made me feel as a kid. He coached me in important areas when he needed to, but a lot of the time he made me feel free. All the lads can talk about people who brought the same thing for them that Mike did for me.”

Dodds has since left Birmingham and is now at Sunderland.

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The verdict

This is great for Blues fans to hear as they all love Bellingham and they’re proud to see the way he has grown into a top talent in world football.

It’s also a nice touch for him to mention Dodds and he deserves plenty of credit for the work he did at Blues, because a lot of good players came through the ranks even if Bellingham is the standout individual.

Now, all at Blues will be willing on the teenager to win the World Cup and they will be thinking of the sell-on fee that could come if he secures a mega-money move in the next window or two.