Former Birmingham City and current Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham has always been a fan of the new Blues boss Wayne Rooney
Jude Bellingham idolised new Birmingham City manager Wayne Rooney when he was growing up.
The 19-year-old is dazzling the Real Madrid faithful with ten goals in ten matches across La Liga and the Champions League since his summer transfer to Spain. Bellingham progressed through the ranks with Blues before moving to Borussia Dortmund at just 17.
In many ways, Bellingham’s career is resembling Rooney’s when the former England forward first burst onto the scene. Rooney starred for Everton as a 17-year-old before joining United at 18 and he quickly became one of the most highly-rated talents in world football.
When asked about his footballing idol in 2021, Bellingham said: “For me, it was always Wayne Rooney and Steven Gerrard. When I was younger, all I ever wanted was a Birmingham shirt.
“And then the more and more I watched Wayne Rooney, it was like all I wanted was a Wayne Rooney shirt and all I wanted was a Steven Gerrard shirt.
“These kinds of people, they kind of mould the way that you play because you admire them so much. So, yeah, those two are probably my two biggest heroes in football.”
Rooney is not someone who necessarily needs a vote of confidence but he will be happy to have the support of one of the world’s best players. Bellingham played against Rooney in one of his 44 appearances for Blues, in a 3-1 Championship defeat to Derby.
Rooney, 37, was appointed last week after the controversial sacking of John Eustace with club sitting sixth in the Championship. Rooney earned plaudits for the work he did while in charge at Derby but he is still to prove himself as the manager of a club with loftier ambitions.
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