'It certainly surprised him' - Club chief reveals how Jude Bellingham was convinced to sign for Dortmund

It came as something of a surprise to the rest of the world when Bellingham made the move to Germany as English youngsters rarely move overseas to further their careers. Borussia Dortmund's youth coordinator Lars Ricken has revealed why he thinks his club were able to tempt the midfielder to Germany.

Rickens spoke about Dortmund's youth intake with Gianluca di Marzio: "I think for example of Bellingham: he came here at 17 and grew up in an incredible way. Then also [Jadon] Sancho, [Erling] Haaland, [Ousmane] Dembele, [Christian] Pulisic. Our mission is to give every guy the opportunity to become the best player possible."

"I remember when he first came to Dortmund to visit our infrastructure and Signal Iduna Park. We got off the pitch with him and we were close to our corner at the time, before every game, the speaker started playing ‘Hey Jude’ by the Beatles. I’m not saying that it was what convinced him to sign with us, but it certainly surprised him."

Bellingham enjoyed an impressive spell with the Germans despite winning only a single trophy with the side, the 2020/21 DFB-Pokal. The Englishman made the move to Spain earlier this summer and has found some scintillating form with Real Madrid, quickly becoming their talisman. The summer signing has even been touted as the best player this season so far by fans and pundits alike.

Having dropped to second behind Girona in the league standings last weekend, Bellingham and Real Madrid will be raring to go when they take on Villarreal on Sunday, December 17.