As one of the world’s most talented and richest footballers, perhaps Jude Bellingham should have thought twice about posing for pictures with one particular hanger-on.
In a VIP cabana at the O Beach club in Ibiza, the Real Madrid midfielder was photographed laughing with its owner, Wayne Lineker, the controversial younger brother of ex-Match Of The Day host Gary.
Jude, his brother Jobe and their friends giggled as they ‘fist bumped’ the 63-year-old, known for his provocative social media posts (such as his tongue-in-cheek advert for a ‘younger girlfriend’) and dalliances with reality TV stars half his age including former Love Island winner Ekin-Su Culculoglu.
So it’s perhaps little wonder that, when Wayne posted the picture online last month, the great and the good of the footballing world immediately started discussing it in their WhatsApp groups.
Their main topic of conversation: ‘What on earth would Jude’s parents think of this?’ It’s a good question. Because Mark and Denise Bellingham have dedicated most of their adult lives to masterminding the careers of their talented boys Jude, 21, and Jobe, 19, and not just on the pitch but off it, too.
While insiders say the parents are ‘incredibly difficult and not always pleasant to deal with’, their hard work has certainly paid off.
This is particularly true when it comes to Jude – now an England star and increasingly an icon of the game. He signed with Real Madrid for £86million in June 2023, after stints with German side Borussia Dortmund and his boyhood club, Birmingham City. His rumoured weekly salary at the Spanish club is now a jaw-dropping £340,000 – while his net worth is thought to be as much as £40million.
He also has endorsement deals that even David Beckham would envy. In his recent partnership with the Dubai tourism board, he shared a video of his ‘bucket list’ of things to do in the Emirate, including going to the opera and visiting the Museum of the Future, with his 40million Instagram followers.
Jude Bellingham, 21, at the O Beach club in Ibiza
Ashlyn has faced abuse because she is six years older than the footballer, with some even insisting that she is 35 – something she strongly denies
And yet his social media post with Wayne has proven something of an own goal. ‘Seeing Jude and Gary Lineker’s brother in the same frame is something you would not have expected,’ said one football executive. ‘Jude is supposed to be way above that.
‘Jude is a brand, a very carefully curated one – even more so than David Beckham in some ways. There was even talk that he would be bigger than The Beatles. Then he turns up at a tacky club in Ibiza where you have to drink out of orange plastic cups and make small talk with Wayne Lineker.’
I can also attest that the O Beach club, which boasts an ‘iconic round pool bed’, is a grim place. I visited the ‘day club’ some years back, drinking revolting prosecco while watching scantily-clad women throwing themselves at footballers rather less famous than Jude.
Which begs the question whether, deep down, Jude is not so different from any 21-year-old footballer – and certainly not as much as his parents like to think.
Actually, some suggest he rather enjoys the cocktail of parties and women that is lapped up by so many of his peers. Even so, my source notes: ‘This really isn’t very Brand Bellingham.’
Neither was his behaviour on Tuesday night when England lost 3-1 to Senegal at Nottingham Forest’s City Ground.
Shortly after his apparent late goal was disallowed, he chased down the fourth official and kicked a water cooler. His sometimes aggressive manner reared its ugly head at last year’s Euros where he launched a foul-mouthed tirade towards his England teammates during their clash with Slovenia. He reportedly shouted, ‘f***ing pass!’ twice in footage broadcast across Europe.
So when new Three Lions manager Thomas Tuchel was asked about his starlet’s behaviour – and whether England could be better off without Jude – the German not so diplomatically replied that his on-field demeanour can be ‘repulsive’.
During the remarkable interview, which will almost certainly spark concern for Jude’s loyal parents, the former Chelsea manager said: ‘He brings an edge which we welcome and is needed if we want to achieve big things.
‘[But] the edge needs to be channelled towards the opponent, towards our goal and not to intimidate teammates.
When Jude joined Madrid, his mother Denise moved with him to help manage his affairs and they are said to share a flat in the Spanish capital (pictured together at Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabéu Stadium)
Jude’s father Mark (pictured carrying the football star) was a sergeant in the West Midlands Police and a prolific goal scorer in non-League football
‘He has the fire. I don’t want to dim this… but the fire also comes with some attributes that can intimidate you.’
Tuchel added: ‘If he smiles, he wins everyone [over]. But sometimes you see the rage and the fire, and it comes out in a way that can be a bit repulsive.
‘But in general we are very happy to have him. He is a special boy. He is a nice kid and very open, very intelligent and very easy [to manage] so far.’
Bellingham has yet to respond to Tuchel’s brutal comments.
But the outburst has enabled his critics to speak out more vocally, too – which now threatens to damage his brand.
One football executive tells me: ‘It was all looking good for Jude. But to have the England manager feeling so strongly that he uses a word like “repulsive” to describe him… it could all be on the verge of going wrong.’ If so, it would mark a difficult moment in his football fairytale.
Jude and Jobe grew up in Stourbridge, just outside Birmingham. Their father Mark was a sergeant in the West Midlands Police and a prolific goal scorer in non-League football, while mother Denise worked in Human Resources.
As a boy, Jude played for Stourbridge Juniors, a club set up by his father, before joining Birmingham City’s under-8 team.
He attended the £25,000-a-year Priory School in Edgbaston and graduated from Loughborough College in 2021 with a BTEC Level 3 Certificate in Sport.
Once Jude joined the England squad, Jobe quickly began to follow his elder brother into the profession.
After also starting at Birmingham, he moved to Sunderland in 2023. Last month he signed for Jude’s former club Borussia Dortmund on a five-year contract for £27 million plus £4.2 million in add-ons.
The Bellingham family are famously close. Denise moved to Spain with Jude when he joined Madrid to help manage his affairs and they are said to share a flat in the exclusive La Finca district of the Spanish capital.
It is claimed Denise, 56, also cooks for her son, makes his bed, drives him to training and even helps him get dressed. Meanwhile Mark, 49, stayed at home with Jobe while his younger son played for Sunderland but is expected to follow him to Germany.
Jude has previously spoken of his close bond with his mother, saying: ‘The role my mum is playing is massive.
‘It is probably the biggest role of anyone, more than my coaches and managers, to be honest.’
Understandably, Denise might also be keen to keep an eye on her son because he is – in the words of one sports expert – a ‘licence to print money’.
One football executive told Katie Hind: ‘To have the England manager feeling so strongly that he uses a word like “repulsive” to describe him… it could all be on the verge of going wrong’ (Pictured: Jude at England and Senegal game this month)
Jude has been unveiled as the ‘face’ of Kim Kardashian’s underwear line SKIMS
As well as his income from football, Jude has followed in the footsteps of international sporting greats Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo by signing a deal with French luxury fashion giant Louis Vuitton.
He was even invited to sit in the front row at the brand’s Paris Fashion Week show in 2023, between his England teammate Marcus Rashford and top US basketball player Jaylen Brown.
Louis Vuitton officially described Bellingham as a ‘Friend of the House’ – meaning he is a valued part of the family brand – but both parties have remained tight-lipped on how much the deal is worth. Jude also featured in a commercial for Gucci last year and has been unveiled as the ‘face’ of Kim Kardashian’s underwear line SKIMS. Outside of the high-fashion world, he also has tie-ins with McDonald’s, Lucozade and Adidas.
It’s a wonder he finds time to have a girlfriend – but he does. Last Saturday he went ‘official’ with Ashlyn Castro, a 27-year-old US influencer whom Jude met on holiday in Los Angeles last July after the Euros.
During the England v Andorra match last week, Ashlyn stood alongside Denise and beamed as she cheered him on.
In keeping with her boyfriend’s deal with the sporting giant, Ashlyn wore a red Adidas dress with white stripes that she paired with a denim jacket.
She was first spotted watching Jude play in February when, once again, she was at Denise’s side as he turned out for Real Madrid.
However, afterwards she found herself on the receiving end of vile trolling – much of it from Jude’s female fans who call themselves the ‘Jude Bellingham Girls’ on social media.
Ashlyn has been abused by some because she is six years older than the footballer, with some even insisting that she is 35 – something she profusely denies.
She has also been criticised for her previous rumoured relationships, including with actor Michael B Jordan and basketball player Terance Mann.
‘She’s a gold-digger,’ wrote one. ‘That’s why most of his fans don’t like her. Her entire goal is to be a WAG, it doesn’t matter to who.’
‘She don’t want Jude, she wants the bag [money],’ said another.
The abuse got so bad that, this month, Ashlyn hit back. Writing on Instagram, she said: ‘I always thought addressing things that aren’t true was pointless but this has gotten out of hand.
‘People lying about my age (I’m 27), making up stories about me, linking me to so many people I don’t know or have never been involved in romantically has gone too far.’
She later quit Instagram but returned last Saturday – shortly before she cheered on Jude – with her first picture of herself in a green halter neck top and white skirt, with the caption: ‘Long time no see.’ It was an act of defiance that said she was there to stand by her man.
Quite what the brilliant but combustible Jude Bellingham’s mother thinks of all this is anyone’s guess. Or indeed his tacky trip to Ibiza.
