Mark Bellingham, father of England star Jude Bellingham, has opened up about the influence of World Cup winner Sir Geoff Hurst on his son's career. The former non-league footballer and police sergeant played a key role in guiding Jude and his brother Jobe to the top of the game, but has faced criticism from Hurst over his conduct at a Borussia Dortmund match.
Hurst, the last surviving member of England's 1966 World Cup-winning starting XI, blasted Bellingham Snr for confronting a Dortmund official after Jobe was substituted in a 3-3 draw with St Pauli. Speaking at an event in Bristol, Hurst said: 'A thing that has irritated me is a picture in one of the papers about the most powerful man in English football - and it’s Jude Bellingham's father. He was complaining when his son was taken off in a game - and that is an absolute joke. If you don’t eradicate that kind of thing, that is an absolute disgrace.'
Mark Bellingham, 49, combined his own playing career in non-league with shifts as a police sergeant before retiring to manage his sons' careers. He played for clubs including Leamington, Stourbridge, Sutton Coldfield and Halesowen, scoring over 700 goals before hanging up his boots in the late 2010s. His wife Denise, 57, has also been central to the brothers' development, moving with Jude to Dortmund in 2020 and later to Madrid.
The incident at Dortmund led the club to reiterate a ban on agents and family members from the dressing room area. Sporting director Sebastian Kehl said: 'We are all disappointed with yesterday’s result. And yet, the active area is and remains reserved for players, coaches and management, not families and advisers. That won’t happen again. We have clearly informed everyone involved of this.'
Despite the controversy, Jobe has spoken highly of his parents, saying: 'Before being great parents, they're great people. I’ve grown up around them and seen the way they interact with other people, seen the way they treat people. When you have people like that, you don't have to be told how to behave, you pick that up from them… working hard and if you want something, putting in the graft to go and get it.'
