Birmingham City retired Jude Bellingham’s number 22 shirt in 2020 following his transfer to Borussia Dortmund
When Birmingham City retired Jude Bellingham’s shirt number in 2020, they became the laughing stock of the world of football. But those days are long gone.
After Bellingham left the Blues after just one season in the first team to join Borussia Dortmund, the team made the odd decision to retire his number 22 shirt. Bellingham joined the Blues as their youngest player ever, however he only appeared in 44 first team games.
Bellingham, who was 17 at the time, was taken aback by the gesture when the news went viral. At St Andrew’s, Bellingham’s number 22 shirt has been unclaimed for four years.
“To be honest, based on my on-field achievements, I probably don’t deserve it,” Bellingham stated to The Times.”They seemed excellent to me, but there’s a really high bar to get your garment retired. “It’s not retired, as I always say; it’s saved for the day I go back and, hopefully, take them to the Premier League.”
Since then, Bellingham has developed into a talisman for Real Madrid and England, the teams he intends to win Euro 2024 with.With 23 goals and 11 assists in 43 games, Bellingham helped Los Galacticos win both the La Liga and the Champions League in his debut season in Spain.
“In such a remarkably short space of time Jude has become an iconic figure at Blues, showing what can be achieved through talent, hard work, and dedication,” the Blues stated in a statement explaining their intention to retire the number 22 in 2020. He’s also such an amazing role model because of his kind, modest, and gregarious off-field manner.
“The number 22 has come to represent Jude, his ascent to the first team at the age of just 16 years and 38 days, and these attributes. In light of this, the club has determined it is appropriate to retire this number in order to honor one of our own and to motivate others.
The club threw a secret party for those who were intimately involved in Jude’s growth before his final game. It was a chance for everyone to unite, acknowledge the assistance and encouragement Jude has received from everyone at Blues, especially the academy, and give him one more memorable parting experience.
“Jude stayed focused and fully committed to the Blues cause throughout the drawn-out transfer process that ultimately made him the most expensive 17-year-old in the world, which demonstrated the value of having a supportive environment.”
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