JUDE BELLINGHAM’S SURPRISE £1M MINORITY STAKE IN CRICKET’S BIRMINGHAM PHOENIX TEAM REVEALED
Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham has bought a £1M stake in the Birmingham Phoenix cricket team. Discover his ties to his hometown roots.
Jude Bellingham, the Real Madrid midfielder, just took a surprising step into cricket. He bought a minority stake, 1.2 per cent, worth about £1 million in Birmingham Phoenix, the team in The Hundred. That franchise is split between Warwickshire County Cricket Club and Knighthead Capital, an American investment firm. Knighthead added Bellingham by selling off part of their ownership, which dropped from 49 per cent to 48.4 per cent once he joined.
Bellingham picked up equal shares from Warwickshire and Knighthead, both of whom also co-own Birmingham City Football Club. That’s the team where Bellingham got his start; he came up through the youth squads and made his debut for the first team at just 16. Then he went off to Borussia Dortmund in Germany for a hefty £22.75 million transfer before Real Madrid snapped him up last year for about £88 million.
He grew up in Stourbridge, played junior cricket for Hagley Cricket Club as a teenager, and honestly, he’s loved cricket forever.
“I love Birmingham. I’m so grateful for everything the city’s given me. And I love cricket too, so once this opportunity came up, I didn’t even have to think about it; I just went for it,” Bellingham said, via ESPNcricinfo.
He’s pretty clear about his roots: “I owe so much to Birmingham, Stourbridge, and the West Midlands. I got the best start in football and in life through Birmingham City. I feel like I owe the city. Right now, football keeps me busy, but if I can help in any way, this seems like a great way to do it.”
Warwickshire says Bellingham’s investment means he’ll get involved in community activities and corporate social responsibility projects around Birmingham.
And Bellingham’s big push? He wants kids to get out and play sports. “It’s so important for kids in the city to have that chance,” he said. “Whether it’s football or cricket, I want people to see there are different paths. When I was growing up, I got to choose between cricket and football, but not all kids get that kind of opportunity. If I can help shine a light on something for them, that’s even better.”
HOW TRENT ALEXANDER-ARNOLD’S DREAM REAL MADRID MOVE BECAME A DEFENSIVE NIGHTMARE LATELY
Trent Alexander-Arnold faces a trophyless season at Real Madrid and a World Cup snub. Discover the stats and critiques from MARCA.
Being nine points adrift of Barcelona in La Liga and already out of the Champions League after Bayern Munich knocked them out, Trent Alexander-Arnold looks unlikely to lift any silverware in his first season with Real Madrid.
He left Liverpool, where he came through the academy, before his contract expired to join Madrid ahead of the Club World Cup. Since then, the club dismissed Xabi Alonso in January, and Alexander-Arnold has struggled to cement his place, partly due to injuries.
So far, he’s appeared just 24 times this season and has managed five assists across all competitions.
This week, MARCA noted that Alexander-Arnold has shown more struggles than strengths, especially in defence, during his time at the Bernabeu.
They pointed out he’s played significantly more minutes than Dani Carvajal, 1,382 compared to 858, but that hasn’t been enough to keep him in the thoughts of England’s manager, Thomas Tuchel, for the World Cup squad.
With injuries, uncertainties about Tuchel’s plans, and a preference for players like Ben White and Tino Livramento, Alexander-Arnold faces a crucial stretch where he’ll need to prove himself if he wants to be part of the 26-man England squad.
Steven Gerrard spoke during the March international break about the type of creativity Alexander-Arnold brings, especially needed against teams like Uruguay and Japan.
He mentioned the value of a player who can change the game’s rhythm, whether from the start or off the bench, to open up chances when things aren’t going smoothly.
Still, Tuchel chose other options. Earlier this month, AS described Alexander-Arnold as the Achilles' heel of Madrid’s defence during their European exit, a stark contrast to former Liverpool teammate Luis Diaz’s standout performances.
They criticised him for being too passive on Bayern Munich’s opening goal, although much of the blame went to goalkeeper Andriy Lunin. More notably, they highlighted his failure to keep track of Harry Kane, who scored Bayern’s second.
Going forward, Alexander-Arnold did better pushing to the byline and delivering dangerous low crosses, but his defensive reliability remains his biggest challenge.
Some thought playing in Spain might help mask or improve his defensive issues, yet that doesn’t seem to have happened.
Back at Liverpool, he frequently faced criticism for slow reactions defensively, although those claims were often exaggerated.
KYLIAN MBAPPé FIT FOR MUNICH; REAL MADRID EYE ANOTHER LEGENDARY CHAMPIONS LEAGUE REVERSAL
Kylian Mbappé is fit! Real Madrid face Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena. See the full UCL lineup and Arbeloa's plan.
The second leg of the Champions League quarterfinal between Real Madrid and Bayern Munich kicks off on Wednesday at the Allianz Arena, and now Kylian Mbappe’s injury status is clear.
Madrid trails 2-1 on aggregate after losing to Bayern at home at the Bernabeu last week, with Mbappe grabbing their only goal late in the match.
What happened to Mbappe? Last Friday against Girona, he took a nasty hit to the face from Vitor Reis. Blood everywhere, a deep cut, and in the end, stitches across his forehead.
People worried about a concussion, but Mbappe got cleared for Sunday’s training. He showed up with a big bandage on his head, looking ready to go to Munich. Still, he skipped the next day’s session, resting up because he was sore, but Madrid said he could travel, and by Tuesday, he was back on the Allianz Arena pitch with the team.
Madrid’s official update: Mbappe took part in multiple drills, joined in tactical exercises, and finished up with some shooting drills. He looked comfortable.
So, here’s where things stand for the Bayern match: Fabrizio Romano says Mbappe will play. Not just available, he’s expected to start for Alvaro Arbeloa, with Jude Bellingham also back in the eleven.
Bellingham has returned for Madrid’s last three games after a long injury spell and started against Girona. He knows Bayern well, having played against them during his Borussia Dortmund days.
Mbappe and Bellingham are both fit for Munich, but Madrid will miss Rodrygo, Thibaut Courtois, and Raul Asensio due to injuries. Plus, Aurelien Tchouameni is suspended after picking up his third yellow card of the tournament in the first leg.
Still, Arbeloa has options he can turn to Federico Valverde, Eduardo Camavinga, Thiago Pitarch, or Dani Ceballos to fill Tchouameni’s spot.
Looking ahead to the match, Arbeloa sounds confident, especially now that Mbappé is fit.
“We’re Real Madrid. If there’s one team that comes to this stadium and turns things around, it’s us,” Arbeloa said. “We never give up. We’ve got 15 European Cups. Whether we go through with our badge or on top of it, we’ll fight. And honestly, we don’t need miracles. We could’ve won the first leg; nothing crazy about that.”
Madrid has a good history in Munich; they haven’t lost at the Allianz Arena in their last four trips. They won in 2014, 2017, and 2018; then their most recent clash was a 2-2 draw in the Champions League semi-final first leg earlier this year.
Now, with Mbappé and Bellingham ready, Madrid’s out to flip the script against Bayern just like they’ve done so many times before.
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