At the age of 23, Jude Bellingham already knows what success means.

In his short career, he has already won the UEFA Champions League with Real Madrid, claimed the Young Talent of the Year award in 2023 and finished on the podium at the Ballon d'Or in 2024.

In fact, he has just finished 11th in the overall rankings for the 2026 Ballon d'Or.

However, no achievement compares to the news he has just received in England...

In the last few hours, his younger brother, Jobe Bellingham, has been called up to the senior national team for the first time.

Sharing the Three Lions’ dressing room with his own flesh and blood is a dream that seemed a distant prospect when they were both taking their first steps on the football pitch.

From Birmingham’s youth teams to the England national team

The Bellinghams’ footballing bond was forged at the Birmingham City academy, where they both grew up side by side before turning professional took them down different paths.

When they were just 6 and 8 years old, respectively, Jobe and Jude would spend entire afternoons honing their shooting skills and dreaming of representing the same national team on the international stage.

Today, 15 years on from those days in Birmingham, Jobe’s breakthrough onto the big stage is not simply down to his surname.

The 21-year-old midfielder is enjoying a stellar spell at Borussia Dortmund – the very club where Jude shone before moving to Real Madrid.

Furthermore, Jobe has recently captained the Young Lions, England’s Under-21 team.

It is that very same maturity that Jude displayed at Signal Iduna Park which is now opening the doors to the England squad for his younger brother.

It will be the first time the Bellingham brothers have represented England together, realising the dream they forged when they were just two boys.

The exclusive club of brothers with a Ballon d'Or lineage

In the history of football, only a handful of sets of brothers have had the privilege of representing the same national team whilst also having a direct link to the Ballon d'Or:

  • Jack and Bobby Charlton (England): The quintessential golden example. They were both in the starting eleven when England won the 1966 World Cup. That same year, Bobby won the Ballon d'Or, whilst Jack was nominated for the award on several occasions.

  • Frank and Ronald de Boer (Netherlands): Icons of the ‘Orange Machine’ during the 1990s and the 1998 World Cup. Both brothers had the honour of being nominated twice each for the Ballon d'Or.

  • Yaya and Kolo Touré (Ivory Coast): Cornerstones of the Ivorian ‘golden generation’ that dominated African football. Both the Arsenal centre-back and the multi-titled Manchester City midfielder were recognised with Ballon d'Or nominations throughout their successful careers.

  • Eden and Thorgan Hazard (Belgium): They featured together in numerous major tournaments with the Red Devils, sharing the historic podium at Russia 2018. Eden has racked up six Ballon d'Or nominations and even finished in the top 10 on two occasions.

  • Alexis and Kevin Mac Allister (Argentina): They were both recently called up to the Argentine national team. Alexis, the driving force in the Albiceleste’s midfield, has already seen his name featured on the official list of Ballon d'Or nominees.

Outside the scope of the award, there are other iconic examples of brothers who have played together at the very highest international level, such as Gary and Phil Neville in England, Lucas and Theo Hernández in France, and Giovani and Jonathan dos Santos in Mexico.

Seeing two brothers wearing the national team shirt at the same time remains a rarity reserved for the few.

Now, it is the Bellinghams’ turn…

With Jude established as England’s on-pitch captain and Jobe emerging as one of the most promising young talents, the dynasty is writing the most personal and long-dreamed-of chapter in its history.