Jobe Bellingham signs for Borussia Dortmund, follows brother Jude Bellingham's footsteps

Jobe Bellingham, the 19-year-old midfielder and younger brother of Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham, has signed a five-year contract with Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday. He joins the German club from Sunderland, following his brother's path who developed into one of the world's top midfielders at Dortmund before moving to Real Madrid in 2023.The young midfielder chose Dortmund over an offer from Eintracht Frankfurt, making his move shortly after helping Sunderland secure promotion to the Premier League through the playoff final."Jobe is an extremely talented footballer with an impressive level of maturity and intelligence on the pitch for someone so young. We have no doubt that he's the perfect fit for our philosophy of developing talented youngsters and giving them the opportunity to improve and establish themselves at the highest level," said Dortmund managing director for sport Lars Ricken.

"We've known Jobe for several years, and of course we have followed his progress very closely. He has taken another huge step forward in his development over the last year, and even at the age of 19 he has become a real leader," stated Dortmund sporting director Sebastian Kehl.

Like his brother Jude, Jobe emerged from the Birmingham City academy and made his senior debut at age 16 in 2022. He also represents England's Under-21 team.

His performances in the Championship earned him the league's young player of the year award in April, and he was named to the team of the season. Bellingham joins Dortmund after the team secured Champions League qualification by finishing fourth in the Bundesliga on the final day of the season."We're delighted that we were able to complete this deal before the FIFA Club World Cup so that we can see Jobe in our colours for the first time in the United States," Kehl added.

Bellingham will wear number 77 and is eligible to play in Dortmund's upcoming Club World Cup matches in the United States.

The tournament schedule includes matches against Brazil's Fluminense on June 17, followed by Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa on June 21, and South Korea's Ulsan HD on June 25.Dortmund hopes Bellingham can make a similar impact as his brother, who nearly led the club to a Bundesliga title in 2023, though they fell short in the final game while Jude watched from the sideline due to injury.