Jude Bellingham’s father pays a heartfelt tribute to his son after the Real Madrid superstar WON the Kopa award at the 2023 Ballon d’Or – and shares a touching look back at the 20-year-old from his time at Birmingham City
- Jude Bellingham won the prestigious Kopa Award at the 2023 Ballon d’Or
- The 20-year-old has made an incredible start to life with the LaLiga giants
- Listen to the latest episode of the Mail Sport podcast “It’s starting!”
Mark Bellingham paid tribute to his son as his meteoric rise was recognized in Monday night’s Kopa Trophy game.
Jude Bellingham has exceeded the astronomically high expectations that accompanied his £113million transfer to Real Madrid last summer.
The 20-year-old has scored 13 goals in his first 13 games for the Spanish giants and has established himself as a star for both club and country.
For this, Bellingham took home the trophy for the best young player in world football at the 2023 Ballon d’Or awards. After the gong, which promises to be the first of many honors in a brilliant career, his father took to social media to thank everyone involved in his son’s amazing development.
“Kopa 2023 award for a good child who grows into a good man.” He wrote about X, formerly Twitter. “I’m happy for him. It is a beautiful moment for all the teachers and coaches who were part of this journey. “Good people who made everything fun.”
Mark Bellingham accompanied his message with a souvenir photo of the superstar from his time at Birmingham City
Bellingham’s “supportive” family includes mother Denise, father Mark and younger brother Jobe
Bellingham finished 18th on the list of Ballon d’Or nominees, just one place ahead of another Englishman who has won hearts on the continent: Harry Kane.
The award came just two days after the former Borussia Dortmund midfielder produced another game-winning performance in the Clasico against Barcelona.
Bellingham scored a stunning second-half equalizer before securing the winner in stoppage time to give Carlo Ancelotti’s men four points clear of their rivals.
On a night when Lionel Messi took home the top prize for the eighth time after winning the World Cup with Argentina, Bellingham was the leading contender for future games.
“I’ve been really welcomed by everyone at the club, my teammates, the staff and everyone behind the scenes, so it’s really down to them,” he said in his acceptance speech. “I always have confidence in my abilities, but they help me express them.”
“For me the team trophies are the most important thing.” “Now that I have that, it’s important that I try to keep going and help Madrid and England win trophies,” he added.