Why Birmingham City retired Jude Bellingham’s shirt number – and what England ace said about it

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.

A Blues statement gave an explanation for their choice to retire the number 22 in 2020.

“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 honour 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.

“Throughout the elongated transfer process that eventually made Jude the world’s most expensive 17-year-old, he remained focused and totally committed to the Blues cause, which showed the importance of having a supportive family behind him.”

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