Tom Bellwood

Tom Bellwood

News writer & editor

Bio: For the last 17 years I have worked in sports publishing and broadcast at MailOnline Sport and, more recently, talkSPORT. I've been lucky enough to cover World Cup finals, Champions League finals, plus hundreds of Premier League and EFL matches. My experience isn't confined to football, I've also covered British and Irish Lions tours, England Test cricket and much more. 

My Football Story: I took the 123 bus from South Woodford to Tottenham, jumped off at Bruce Grove and then took the long walk up the High Road to the old White Hart Lane. The noise coming from inside the many pubs, the smell of food stalls lining the street and walking out on the Paxton Road terrace for the first time are memories that will stay with me forever. I was hooked. It cost me £1.20 to get in that day (it was 1989, football was cheap back then), but we lost 2-1 to Derby County. I was devastated and the high/low, joy/pain relationship with Spurs has changed very little since. 

Areas of Expertise: 

  • Expert football opinion and analysis.
  • Premier League and Champions League match reaction.
  • Breaking news. 

Favourite Football Memory: 'Is Gascoigne going to have a crack? He is you know... Oh I say, brilliant, that is School Boy's Own stuff,' Barry Davies' commentary was almost as good as Gazza's free-kick against Arsenal in the 1991 FA Cup semi-final. The old Wembley Stadium was hosting its first semi, Spurs were about to go bankrupt off the field, north London rivals Arsenal looked set for a famous league and cup Double on it. But Gazza was in his pomp, unstoppable that day, I still get goosebumps when I watch that goal now. 

Articles by Tom Bellwood
  1. Messi could 'easily' join Galatasaray says president

    Galatasary club president Dursun Ozbek has dropped a massive hint that the Turkish giants will make a sensational move for Argentina maestro Lionel Messi. Gala have dominated Turkish football in recent seasons, winning three consecutive titles and notably tallying a record-breaking 102 points back in 2023-24. And now Ozbek believes he can convince Messi to swap Inter Miami for the Turkish capital.

  2. Fernandez reveals injury problem lasting four months

    There was a sour note at the end of Chelsea's commanding 3-0 win over manager-less Wolves after star midfielder Enzo Fernandez revealed he's been playing with a worrying injury, which has ruled him out of playing for Argentina. Fernandez put in a top shift for the Blues, but delivered a concerning update which means he will miss the forthcoming international matches against Angola.

  3. Spurs star Simons vows to keep 'working'

    Tottenham's marquee summer signing Xavi Simons has admitted his start to life in north London has fallen shy of the high expectations which followed him when he joined from RB Leipzig for £60.5m ($82m). Simons has struggled to impose himself on matches and was ignominiously substituted off after being brought on as a replacement for the injured Lucas Bergvall in the recent 1-0 defeat by London rivals Chelsea.

  4. Yamal, Kane and Dembele to do battle for FIFA The Best prize

    Ousmane Dembele, Harry Kane, and Lamine Yamal are all prominently featured among the 11 nominees for The Best FIFA Men's Player 2025. The nomination sets up another potential battle between Dembele and Yamal, who recently went head-to-head for the 2025 Ballon d'Or, an award Dembele ultimately won. And there's a showdown between England Lionesses hero Alessia Russo and Aitana Bonmati for the women’s gong.

  5. Salah set for showdown talks ahead of club-v-country row

    Liverpool star Mo Salah risks causing huge anger in his native Egypt as he prepares for showdown talks with national boss Hossam Hassan to discuss missing a key warm-up match ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations. The Pharaohs have a friendly with Nigeria planned in early December, but lands in the same week as key matches for the Reds setting up a potential club-v-country row, which Salah hopes to avoid.

  1. What was Slot thinking?! Gamble backfires in Carabao loss

    Liverpool slumped to another damaging, dismal defeat as Arne Slot’s side were dumped out of the Carabao Cup, beaten 3-0 by Crystal Palace while finishing the match with 10 players on a dire night at Anfield. Slot made sweeping changes to the team which was defeated by Brentford, with one eye on the clash with Aston Villa this weekend, but the fringe players and academy hopefuls were thoroughly outclassed by Oliver Glasner's side.

  2. Vini Jr deliberately left Alonso's name out of Clasico apology

    Real Madrid star Vinicius Jr has made a grovelling apology for his behaviour after being substituted during the 2-1 Clasico victory over arch-rivals Barcelona. The Brazil international stormed off the pitch, headed straight down the tunnel and was heard saying he was going to "leave the team" after being taken off, but has now apologised to everyone except boss Xabi Alonso.

  3. VAR could undergo radical change to review second yellow cards

    Football's lawmakers will discuss giving VAR the power to review second yellow cards at a meeting in January. The International Football Association Board's (IFAB) advisory group has confirmed the proposal will be submitted, which would expand VAR's remit beyond its current limitation of only reviewing straight red cards. The move is based on the idea that second yellow cards are often match-changing decisions which should be subject to review.

  4. Seven-time Ligue 1 champions open Endrick loan transfer talks

    Brazilian wonderkid Endrick is pursuing a January loan move away from Real Madrid and talks have already begun with a club outside of Spain. The 19-year-old hasn't made a competitive appearance this season and wants regular playing time to secure his place in Brazil's squad for the World Cup. Endrick has struggled with injury, but has also been overlooked by boss Xabi Alonso and a temporary move away from the Bernabeu is seemingly edging closer.