Jobe Bellingham’s first senior England call-up gives Thomas Tuchel a closer look at a midfielder whose progress has been built on his own performances. The shared surname brings unavoidable comparisons with Jude, but England’s decision reflects Jobe’s standing as an Under-21 captain and his growing influence at Borussia Dortmund.
Both brothers are in England’s 25-man squad for a meeting with Croatia at Wembley on Thursday and a trip to Madrid to play Spain on Sunday. England are close to securing a place in the Nations League quarter-finals in March, and Tuchel’s side are aiming to finish top of Group A3. For Jobe, the immediate task is to show what he can add at senior level.
Tuchel said the call-up came “on his own merit”. He pointed to Jobe’s sustained form for the Under-21s, where the midfielder has become a standout player and taken the captain’s armband. Strong performances over time, Tuchel argued, should keep the route to the senior team open. Jobe’s club form has helped make the case: he has settled into Dortmund’s side, started regularly and become an influential presence.
That trajectory was visible in September, when Jobe captained the Under-21s in a 4-2 comeback win over Kazakhstan in qualifying for next year’s European Championship. Lee Carsley, the Under-21 manager, had watched him in Dortmund and described a player developing quickly. He highlighted Jobe’s physical growth, improved footwork and ability to carry the ball past opponents while using his balance and strength to keep possession.
A similar route, a different midfield role
The family resemblance is more than a matter of appearance. Both brothers came through Birmingham City, made their first-team debuts at 16 and moved to Dortmund. Jude joined the German club at 17 in a £25m transfer. Jobe took a longer route: after two seasons at Sunderland, where he won the Championship Young Player of the Season award, he moved to Dortmund at 19 for £28m.
Following a sibling to the same club could invite questions about comparison. Jobe has said he had “fears” about joining Dortmund, where Jude became a global star, but he wasn’t going to make a career decision simply to avoid a similar path. “It’s not about being different,” he said. “It’s about doing the right thing.”
The brothers’ positions offer a clearer distinction than their shared career landmarks. Jude is most dangerous as an advanced No 8 or No 10, driving forward, beating markers and contributing goals. Jobe is closer to a conventional box-to-box midfielder: he tends to operate deeper, reads the game well and can give more attacking teammates a platform.
Tuchel sees Jobe as the more defensive of the two, describing a strong, physical player who can protect the ball and keep possession. Those traits could give England a different balance in midfield. The call-up is an opportunity to assess that profile in the senior setup, rather than to cast Jobe as a replica of his brother.
His own name, his own expectations
Jobe has made one small but visible choice to establish his identity: his shirt carries his first name. He said the idea came from a coach when he joined Sunderland. At the time, he thought it looked cool; since then, it has become a personal marker. “It shows that I’m going my own way,” he said, adding that he doesn’t mind if some people dislike it.
That independence sits alongside a close relationship between the brothers. As children in Stourbridge, they spent hours playing football on a small patch of grass near their home, inventing teams and stadiums and pretending each match was a Champions League final. Jude recalled in 2022 that they must have staged about 1,000 such finals there. Two years later, he won the real competition with Real Madrid.
Their father, Mark, helped develop their technical ability. A prolific non-league striker with a nomadic playing career, he has also recently represented England’s Over-50s Veterans. He scored seven goals on his debut in a 13-1 win against the Republic of Ireland.
For all the physical and technical similarities, Jobe has described a quieter ambition away from football. He has said he doesn’t want to be a superstar or a big personality off the pitch. His focus, he says, is to work hard and become one of the team’s highest-performing players.
That outlook makes the senior call-up a fitting next step. Jude, now 23, has 60 England caps and starred at the 2026 World Cup; Jobe is starting from a different point, with a more reserved public profile and a deeper midfield role. If he makes his debut, he’ll have the chance to establish what those differences mean in an England shirt. Jude has said his brother’s happiness matters more to him than his own. For Jobe, the test is now to turn a strong club and Under-21 record into a place in the senior conversation.
England squad for November internationals
Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford, Jason Steele, James Trafford.
Defenders: Jarrad Branthwaite, Marc Guehi, Lewis Hall, Ezri Konsa, Jarell Quansah, Djed Spence, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Ben White.
Midfielders: Elliot Anderson, Jobe Bellingham, Jude Bellingham, James Garner, Josh King, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Declan Rice.
Forwards: Harry Kane, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Eberechi Eze, Morgan Gibbs-White, Anthony Gordon, Rio Ngumoha, Morgan Rogers.