Jobe Bellingham finds form at Dortmund ahead of return to England

Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jobe Bellingham is beginning to establish himself after a slow start to life in Germany, just in time for his return to England to face Manchester City on Wednesday.

The 19-year-old joined Dortmund from Sunderland in the summer for a reported €30.5 million ($35 million), one of the club’s most expensive transfers. His move followed the path of his older brother, Jude Bellingham, who joined Dortmund at 17 before becoming one of Europe’s brightest stars and moving to Real Madrid in 2023.

Wednesday’s Champions League fixture will be Jobe’s first match on English soil for Dortmund, with both sides currently sitting in the top eight after unbeaten starts in the group stage.

Comparisons and early struggles

Jobe acknowledged before the season that comparisons with his brother were inevitable. “It’s something you do think about. You have these anxieties, especially me as I’m only young,” he said during pre-season.

Wearing “Jobe” rather than his surname on his jersey — as he did at Sunderland — the midfielder initially struggled to adapt. After a promising Club World Cup showing, he endured a difficult Bundesliga debut, substituted at half-time, prompting a heated post-match exchange between his father and agent, Mark Bellingham, and Dortmund sporting director Sebastian Kehl.

The club later reminded families and advisors that the player area “remains reserved for players, coaches and management.”

Following that incident, Jobe was benched for several matches and failed to register a goal or assist in his brief appearances. His turning point came in mid-October: after a costly defensive error against Bayern Munich, he bounced back three days later with two assists in a 4-2 Champions League win at Copenhagen.

Since then, he has impressed in both domestic and European fixtures — helping set up a goal in a German Cup win over Eintracht Frankfurt and making a crucial late block in a 1-0 league victory at Augsburg.

Praise from coach and teammates

A Dortmund source told Bild that Jobe is likely to start against Manchester City. Head coach Niko Kovac praised the young midfielder’s recent form, saying, “You could see in our last game against Frankfurt what qualities he has. He’s present. He’s physical. We’re building him up slowly, and it’s going even faster than I imagined because the lad really has a lot of quality.”

Goalkeeper Gregor Kobel also lauded his teammate: “Jobe is doing great. He’s getting better week by week — outstanding.”