Mark Bellingham, father of Jobe and Jude, playing for German club near Dortmund
Jobe Bellingham followed in his brother Jude’s footsteps when he signed for Borussia Dortmund during the summer, but he isn’t the only member of the Bellingham family currently playing in Germany.
According to regional paper Westfalenpost, the brothers’ father, Mark, has been strutting his stuff for FC Herdecke-Ende – a lower-league club based near Dortmund – since November this year, having moved to Germany to be with Jobe.
Hoping to join a seniors’ team near his home, the 49-year-old turned up at Herdecke-Ende’s headquarters and introduced himself to club members, saying: “I’m Mark, I’m looking for somewhere to play football for a veterans’ side.”
Herdecke-Ende had little idea who they were dealing with at that stage, but two training sessions later, they had seen enough to offer Bellingham Sr a place on their team.
It was only when club boss Marcel Schünke read the name on the membership form that he put two and two together. “All of a sudden, everyone was speaking English in the changing rooms,” he recalls.
At first, Bellingham only wanted to train with the veterans’ side, but he impressed his new colleagues so much that he was handed his competitive bow in a senior cup tie against Berchum-Garenfeld at the end of October.
It proved to be a memorable debut for the frontman, who marked the occasion with a brace.
Bellingham, a former police sergeant who scored over 700 goals in English non-league football, has since appeared – and scored – for Herdecke-Ende’s second team.
“Mark’s lethal in front of goal,” said Schünke. “As well as scoring three goals in two games, he has also registered an assist.”
Watch: Bellingham in action for Dortmund on Matchday 9
While his youngest son has yet to open his Bundesliga account for Dortmund, he did score for Niko Kovač’s side in a 4-3 victory over Mamelodi Sundowns at the FIFA Club World Cup in the summer.
Jobe, who has appeared in all 20 of Borussia’s games this season, will hope to take a leaf out of his dad’s book when they welcome in-form Hoffenheim to Signal Iduna Park on Matchday 13.
His brother, Jude, registered 49 goal involvements in 132 appearances for the club, and lifted the DFB Cup in 2021, before joining Real Madrid in 2023.
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