Why Jude Bellingham and brother Jobe won't play against each other in the Club World Cup
Jude Bellingham will not face his brother Jobe at the Club World Cup - despite their respective teams facing one another.
The brothers were set for a highly anticipated clash in the quarter-finals, with Jude’s Real Madrid and Jobe’s Borussia Dortmund progressing past Juventus and Monterrey in the last 16.
But Jobe, who joined Dortmund from Sunderland earlier this summer, won’t feature in the match after picking up a second yellow card in Dortmund’s latest win, triggering an automatic ban. Under tournament rules, yellow cards are only wiped after the quarter-finals.
Clearly disappointed, Jobe now has to watch from the sidelines, missing what would have been a heartwarming moment on the pitch. Dortmund boss Niko Kovac admitted the youngster was left stunned by the suspension.
“I think we all saw he was very disappointed,” Kovac said. “I don’t think he realised at half-time that a second yellow meant a suspension. He was surprised.
“But he’s young, and his brother is young. They will play each other - maybe next season in the Champions League, and certainly in the future. The Club World Cup would’ve been nice, but now someone else will have to step in. That’s football.”
Despite the setback, Jude has made no secret of his dream to one day share the pitch with his brother for England.
“Because we’re of a similar age and we’ve played together for so long - in the street, on little patches of grass - to play with my brother for England, that would be the biggest dream of my life,” Jude said.
“That would mean more than any trophy, especially if we could do it consistently at a major tournament and win things together. Nothing would compare.”
Jobe has already made four appearances at the Club World Cup for Dortmund, scoring his first goal in a 4-3 win over Mamelodi Sundowns last month. Jude has also found the net, scoring against Pachuca in the group stage.