What lay ahead? Jude and his brother in Leamington kit where his police sergeant father was a star part-time striker, although the family came from Stourbridge.
Never mind brand Beckham – although he has been doing well
with a range of television adverts in the World Cup.
It’s the lad from Stourbridge who is attracting the attention of the
world’s top brands.
There are few things that unite LVMH and McDonald’s. But the luxury goods group
and the fast-food giant have both turned to the same man to promote their
brands: Jude Bellingham. The England midfielder has been one of the standout
players at the World Cup.
Bellingham, 23, is among a generation of young superstars,
alongside Erling Haaland and Lamine Yamal, taking up the mantle from Lionel
Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in a sport where younger fans increasingly follow
individual players rather than teams.
Sports business website Sportico estimates that Bellingham
is the ninth highest-paid player at the World Cup, with his $26.5mn salary from
Real Madrid supplemented by $15mn of income from off-pitch endorsements.
England’s Number 10 has already secured endorsement deals from consumer brands
ranging from Adidas to Kim Kardashian’s clothing line Skims.
More are likely to follow, according to Roger Bennett,
founder of the US-based Men In Blazers football media network, who told the
Financial Times that Bellingham’s winning mentality and knack for scoring vital
goals have caught the attention of corporate America. “His mentality is so rare
for an Englishman — he actually has an American mentality. He sees himself as a
winner and is willing to talk about himself that way with a cocksure confidence
that many English people have a difficult relationship with but Americans
love,” Bennett added.
Bellingham is a native of the west Midlands who started his
career at Birmingham City, but he has played more professional matches outside
his home country than in it. He joined Germany’s Borussia Dortmund aged 17,
before moving to Real Madrid in a €127mn deal in 2023, according to
Transfermarkt.
Sports marketing consultant Tim Crow said Bellingham’s decision to build his career across different countries had broadened his brand, likening the attacking midfielder to David Beckham, who became one of Real Madrid’s feted galácticos when he joined the club in 2003.
Beckham remains
a big draw for brands even 13 years after his retirement as a player. In 2022,
Authentic Brands struck a $269mn deal to co-own and oversee the former England
captain’s brand. Bellingham is among a new generation of galácticos at Real
Madrid, alongside France’s star forward Kylian Mbappé and Brazilian winger
Vinícius Júnior, who helped to propel the club’s commercial revenues to a
record €594mn in 2024-25, a jump of 23 per cent.
Adidas signed Bellingham when he was still a teenager playing for Birmingham
City. “Jude has that aspirational quality that all good brands look for as an
ambassador; anyone who has ever met him will tell you his demeanour is
incredibly polite, humble and professional,” Sam Handy, general manager at
Adidas’s football division told the Pink ‘’Un. “That said, he has an
edge, an aura, that makes him comfortable under pressure and it’s clear for him
that every moment to step on the pitch is a chance to show the world what he
can do and express himself,” he added.
His mother Denise has urged him to keep calm and he is said to
have been working with a sports psychologist.
The silhouette of Bellingham’s signature goal celebration —
head up, arms outstretched — has been featured on Adidas hats and tracksuits,
as well as bottles of Lucozade. He has also featured on the cover of the
best-selling football video game EA Sports FC and modelled for Louis Vuitton.
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