BELLY ON Gaz: I knew Jude would make it to top the first time I saw a vid of him aged 11
EXCLUSIVE GARY ROWETT
WHEN Millwall’s team coach pulled into St Andrew’s last season, boss Gary Rowett was surprised to see one of Birmingham City’s players waiting for it to park up.
The Lions boss got off and was immediately greeted by Jude Bellingham.
“I didn’t even think he’d remember me,” said Rowett.
“He shook my hand and said, ‘Thanks for everything.’
“I was a bit embarrassed. I hadn’t done much – and told him so.
“He replied that it was the little things I’d done which had made the difference.
“I was a bit taken aback. And then I saw him play against us and realised that what they were saying about him all those years ago had come true.”
Rewind five years to Rowett’s arrival at St Andrew’s – and the teenager who became England’s third- youngest player this week had hardly started high school.
But, in certain circles, the word about this footballing prodigy was already out.
Rowett said: “When I was appointed at Birmingham, it was during the season. I had to get up to speed quickly.
“I needed to know about the young players so I asked the academy boss, Kristjaan Speakman, to put together clips of them and I’d take a look at them on my Mac.
“One of them caught my eye – but he was only 11 or something like that – and I didn’t know anything about him. So I asked Kristjaan and he said, ‘That’s the most sought-after kid in Europe.’
“I thought to myself, ‘Wow, that’s some statement.’
“Then I learnt every major club here and abroad – Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, the list went on – had been to see Jude play.
“After that, we organised elite player training sessions for him, which I took and I had him in the manager’s office before and after first-team games. But, to be honest, he wasn’t my primary concern.
“Clearly, he wasn’t going to influence the first team for a few years but it was important that he felt comfortable and was challenged to improve.
“And that was about the extent of it. I can’t claim t o have had any more of a hand in developing him than that. “So, when I turned up at St Andrew’s, I have to be honest, I wouldn’t have been surprised if he just hadn’t remembered me at all. Afterwards I thought about what had happened and about the maturity he had shown.
“He wasn’t a flash footballer – and I’ve seen so many like that – I just thought to myself, ‘This boy’s got an incredible chance if that’s what he’s like.’ He was only 16 years old at the time.”
Richard Beale, who has overseen the development of a conveyor belt of talent such as
Jack Butland, Nathan Redmond and Demarai Gray, had no doubt what was in front of him.
Beale moved through the ranks, eventually becoming the r eser ves boss and had direct input on the player’s development.
He said: “Jude joined us at the age of eight. It was very clear from the first time you saw him he was very good. He stood out.
“What do I mean by that? Well, he was very dominant in one-on-ones, he handled the ball very well.
“People often ask, ‘How can you tell these youngsters are going to be good players?’
“The answer is the very good ones – and I’ve been fortunate to work with the likes of Nathan, Demarai and Jack – cope with anything and everything that is put in front of them.
“Ask them to move up an age group and they learn and respond. Ask them to repeat it –
and they do. Eventually, I was in and around the first-team boys but I constantly heard noises from the academy about how Jude was tearing it up.
“We put him in with the Under-23s when he was just 15. He didn’t just cope with it, he was pretty much the best player on the park after a few games.
“At one point, he’d scored four in four matches, playing against people who were years older than him. There wasn’t a big club here or abroad who weren’t aware of him.
“It’s at that point, when you’re watching him, that you really know. As a coach, you just know you are privileged to be seeing something special. He’s a smashing lad as well. You’d be hard pushed at Birmingham City to hear a bad word said about him.”
If there is one question that
remains open for debate it is as to the youngster’s best position.
Beale said the answer will be obvious as he matures.
“Jude can do anything,” said the former Brum coach.
“He can play as a holding midfielder or box-to-box. He was out wide for Birmingham’s first team last season.
“I think he will just play in central midfield. He times his runs so well, connects play, he can finish. He will be running
the show for England in a few years, I’m sure.”
Rowett is another who needs no convincing. “What stands out is his maturity,” he said.
“On the pitch, you can see it all. The ability, the physicality, the athleticism.
“But it’s his maturity as a person that impressed me.
“If he shows that grounded attitude the rest of his career, then English football will have uncovered a true diamond.”
‘He will be running the show for England in a few years, I’m sure’