The day Birmingham City struck gold with Jude Bellingham for a second time - it earned them £6m | OneFootball

Jude Bellingham has gone on to achieve fantastic things since leaving Birmingham City. He has also brought in a fair chunk of money for the Blues.

Now one of the most well-renowned players in the world, Jude Bellingham, came from a humble background in the heart of the West Midlands.

Born in Stourbridge, just over 15 miles from Birmingham City Football Club, it would be at St Andrew's that the midfielder would go on to announce his name to the footballing world, before having a seismic impact at both Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid, while becoming arguably the star man for the English national team.

After coming through the academy at Birmingham, Bellingham left the club for Dortmund in the summer of 2020 for a whopping £25 million fee at just 17 years of age, and it would not be the only time that the club reaped the rewards of a transfer fee of his.

Making a further £6 million as a result of Bellingham's £88 million move to Real Madrid in 2023, the Blues struck financial gold once again. Alongside the monetary rewards, Birmingham supporters have since followed his journey closely and will always feel a sense of pride when he wears the white of both Real Madrid and England.

Bellingham's explosion brings huge windfall for Birmingham

Bellingham etched his name into Blues history when he became the club's youngest-ever player in an EFL Cup defeat to Portsmouth in August 2019, before subsequently becoming the youngest-ever scorer in Blues history at 16 years, two months and eight days, with the first of four strikes during his breakthrough season coming against Stoke City.

The youngster was awarded the EFL Young Player of the Season award by the end of the year, and week in and week out, he continued to seem mature well beyond his years.

Bellingham appeared in 44 matches in the 2019/20 season, thus prompting interest not just in England but across the continent.

The 17-year-old made his move to Borussia Dortmund, and Birmingham opted to retire the number 22 that he wore on his back in honour of Bellingham's rapid rise.

The Blues stated that the number itself had become "synonymous with Jude, his rise to the first team aged just 16 years and 38 days."

Throughout his years in North Rhine-Westphalia, his influence continued to grow. Important goals in the Champions League, stunning performances against Europe's best, and his growth into a talismanic figure saw the Englishman further taken in as one of Dortmund's own at the Westfalenstadion.

In his final year at the club, Dortmund came ever so close to their first Bundesliga title since 2012. However, a 2-2 draw against Mainz on the final day saw the Meisterschale once again find itself in Bayern Munich's hands. Bellingham, though, was at the heart of this charge.

With eight league goals and five assists from a much deeper midfield role than what he is renowned for as of now, he was central to Edin Terzić's approach, leading Real Madrid to come in with a seismic offer for the midfielder.

Bernabeu move brings further financial reward for Birmingham

When the deal was sealed that saw Bellingham make his move to Germany in 2020, a clause saw the Blues entitled to 10% of any profit made by Dortmund should they move the midfielder on.

This was activated in the summer of 2023 when Spanish giants Real Madrid purchased Bellingham for a whopping £88 million, and the move would go on to work out perfectly for not just the two parties involved in the deal, but Birmingham as well.

The midfielder would go on to find the back of the net 23 times in all competitions for Los Blancos, while lifting La Liga and the Champions League in his opening year at the club.

Becoming a talismanic figure for the national team, Bellingham more than played his part as England reached the final of Euro 2024, almost single-handedly dragging his country through the round-of-16 tie against Slovakia.

Financially, Birmingham struck gold not once, but twice with Bellingham. The eventual £6 million received in add-ons would provide further comfort as the club transitioned under new ownership.

Supporters would see their greatest export shine on the biggest stage for both club and country. Bellingham himself still carries great ties with the club, and the dream is that one day he will pull on a Blues shirt again at a time later in his career.

Ultimately, the goal is to see your academy graduates performing on home soil. But Bellingham's situation has proved a rare one where all parties involved with his rise and development as a player can feel nothing but pride and positivity towards how his story has panned out.