Bellingham dad scores seven on England veterans debut as Jude hits 50th for Real

Mark Bellingham, father of England stars Jude and Jobe, scored seven goals on his debut for the England veterans' over-50s side, according to the Daily Mail ^[2]. The 50-year-old struck six times before half-time as his side raced to a 13-1 victory over the Republic of Ireland in Cambridgeshire.

The Mirror reported ^[1] that Bellingham added a seventh goal and an assist in the second half, capping off a weekend that saw son Jude score his 50th goal for Real Madrid in a 3-0 win over Racing Santander. The Daily Mail noted ^[2] that the family were denied a perfect hat-trick of wins, as younger brother Jobe had a goal disallowed for Borussia Dortmund in a 2-1 defeat by Bayern Munich.

Mark, nicknamed the 'Non-League Pelé' during his 25-year career, netted over 700 goals for clubs including Leamington and Stourbridge, the Daily Mail said ^[2]. He came out of retirement for his first-ever call-up to represent the Three Lions, having previously played for Cheltenham Town and Newport County in the late 1990s, the Mirror added ^[1].

Jude, who joined Real Madrid from Borussia Dortmund for £88.5m in 2023, is a key player under Thomas Tuchel and scored seven goals at last summer's World Cup, where England finished third, the Mirror reported ^[1]. Jobe, signed by Dortmund from Sunderland for £27.8m, has captained England Under-21s in his last 11 outings, according to the Mirror.

The Daily Mail highlighted ^[2] that Mark previously negotiated both transfers as his sons' agent. He also introduced Jude to football, taking him to matches at his beloved Southend United. Jude has previously credited his father as his first hero, saying watching him score in non-league games made him fall in love with the sport, the Daily Mail quoted.

Mark's influence extended to media training, with the Daily Mail reporting ^[2] that he encouraged Jude to speak more at international tournaments. The family remains close despite Mark and the boys' mother Denise having separated, with both parents attending Jude's World Cup games in the US, Canada and Mexico.