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Ex-Sunderland Star Jobe Bellingham Confirms What We All Expected in Borussia Dortmund Debut

Originally posted on Sunderland on SI | By Manuel Meza | Last updated Jun 17, 2025 3:30 PM ET

Sunderland had a historic end to the season by earning promotion to the Premier League, but not everything was positive.

The Black Cats lost one of their key figures, Jobe Bellingham (19), who headed to Borussia Dortmund for €33m.

The talented midfielder has already made his debut for the German side in the current FIFA Club World Cup, where they faced Brazil’s Fluminense in their first group-stage match.

In this match, Jobe confirmed what many of us already knew from watching him at the Stadium of Light.

Jobe Bellingham completes solid debut with Borussia Dortmund

The Sunderland academy graduate played 31 minutes in the match, coming on for Pascal Groß in the 59th minute.

Bellingham was a source of confidence for his teammates, recording a 93% passing accuracy and completing 26 of 28 passes.

as a Dortmund player for Jobe Bellingham pic.twitter.com/ydkI8iSoS3
— 433 (@433) June 17, 2025

But let’s be honest: in 31 minutes, it’s very hard to show anything significant. It’s only his first match, and we didn’t get to see much of Jobe.

However, what was clear is something many who watched the former Sunderland player in the Championship already knew: his resemblance to Jude, his older brother, isn’t just physical.

The Bellingham brothers also play very similar football, and that seems to be the general consensus after Jobe’s Dortmund debut.

Spanish journalist Alvaro Esteban, for example, wrote the following on Twitter (X):

Jobe Bellingham’s movements look like an exact replica of Jude’s. It’s not just the physical resemblance, his ball-carrying, passing, even his game-reading are similar.

The account @GolAlAngulo_Uy added this analysis:

He has traits of his brother: the poise, the way he moves, the control. I’ll be keeping a close eye on him in this tournament and next season. Exciting.

Again, we saw very little of him, but Bellingham has undoubtedly confirmed to the world that he’s one of the top prospects in his position globally. We wish him the best of success.

For reference, the match between Borussia Dortmund and Fluminense ended with a 0-0 scoreline. Both teams take one point each (Group F), awaiting the outcome between Mamelodi Sundowns and Ulsan

This article first appeared on Sunderland on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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