Jude Bellingham’s former team-mate reveals what makes him ‘special’ as he says he saw Real Madrid star’s quality from an early age

One of Jude Bellingham‘s ex-Borussia Dortmund team-mates has revealed what it is that makes the Englishman such a special player.

Bellingham, still only 21, has enjoyed a meteoric rise over the past few years and is now considered to be one of the best midfielders in the world.

He began his career with Birmingham City before joining Dortmund in 2020 and quickly establishing himself as one of the top young talents in Europe.

Real Madrid came knocking three years later and secured his services in an £88million deal and now former Dortmund team-mate Marco Reus has said that he always knew he was destined for big things.

He told Hayters: ‘I would say this guy was 17 or 18 when he came to Dortmund. I saw immediately he had the strength and power and quality to play for this club. He wanted to play always and give his life for the club.

‘I saw immediately he had big talent and a big heart. Now you can see it in Madrid he has huge quality. The stats speak for themselves, especially last year.

Marco Reus (left) says that he immediately saw the potential in Bellingham (centre)

Bellingham caught the eye of Europe’s biggest clubs during his time at the German outfit

‘He’s special and the people of Dortmund loved him because he was working hard and people really appreciated those efforts. 

‘He showed it every game and every training. He’s a special guy for sure.’

Reus was at the Signal Iduna Park for the entirety of Bellingham’s time at Dortmund with the pair winning one German Cup together.

They suffered heartbreak in their final campaign together as they squandered the Bundesliga title on the last day of the season.

An injured Bellingham played no part as Dortmund were held to a 2-2 draw at home by Mainz, allowing Bayern Munich to snatch the title with a late winner in their game.  

Bellingham played 132 matches for the German side in total, contributing 24 goals and 24 assists. 

He has continued to shine at the Bernabeu with 35 goals and 24 assists in 82 appearances, winning five trophies already with the club.