- 23 hours ago
Bellingham trades sinking ship Dortmund for Real Madrid
Ronan Murphy
- Updated: 27 May 2023 16:43 BST
- 4 min read
Borussia Dortmund turned to Jude Bellingham again and again this season to put themselves into the Bundesliga driving seat.
But injury meant that he could not be called upon in their biggest game in a decade.
Dortmund needed a win to guarantee their first league title in 11 years, but they fell short and could only draw 2-2 with Mainz.
The camera panned to Bellingham, distraught, as he ends his BVB career without a league medal.
His team-mates on the pitch tried all they could to get the three points they needed, wearing their 2023-24 home kit, which has a silhouette of their famous stadium on the chest.
Revealed: the inspiration for the new Dortmund kit… pic.twitter.com/4IZBUiqjMZ
— Ronan Murphy (@swearimnotpaul) May 27, 2023
The new kit may now feel cursed, especially as the design has been said to resemble a sinking ship - something Bellingham is now set to escape.
Bellingham set for Real Madrid transfer
The worst-kept secret in football will be confirmed this week now that the Bundesliga is over, with Bellingham joining Real Madrid for €100 million before bonuses.
But the English midfielder's value to Dortmund was much more than that.
I've never seen a player, except maybe Erling Haaland, with the same quality.
- Karl-Heinz Riedle"He's already a legend," club legend Karl-Heinz Riedle told FootballTransfers. "I've never seen a player, except maybe Erling Haaland, with the same quality.
"We didn't see a lot of players performing like Jude Bellingham for Borussia Dortmund. Hopefully he's not making the wrong decision too early, but he is old enough. He has good people around him that give him good advice."
During three seasons at Dortmund, Bellingham set a whole host of records for the club and helped them win the German Cup in 2021.
Earlier this season, he became just the third teenager in history to score in four consecutive Champions League games. The other two? Haaland and Kylian Mbappe.
Now, if you look at the Dortmund record books, the entry beside the youngest anything is probably Bellingham.
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He was already an astounding box-to-box midfielder at Birmingham City, but grew even further at Dortmund, and is now one of the best in the world at his position.
He can play any role needed and that is why Madrid are spending so much on him.
Toni Kroos and Luka Modric are coming to the ends of their careers. Which one will he replace? With his all-round ability, Bellingham could replace either. Or both.
😍 Incredible from #BVB's Jude Bellingham!
No wonder #MUFC and Liverpool want him.
Here's our valuation of the England star: https://t.co/kzBKCG4tP7pic.twitter.com/LnqbB3wmZA— Football Transfers (@Transfersdotcom) March 14, 2022
He never won a league title at Dortmund, but knows what victory tastes like having won the German Cup. This is something expected at Santiago Bernabeu: a winner's mentality.
Although injury restricted him to fewer minutes this season than last for BVB, he provided more goal contributions and finishes as one of the club's top scorers - from midfield.
It will be sad for Dortmund fans to see him go. But this next step is inevitable. He's becoming a Galactico. In every way possible.
