Jude Bellingham insists he's still a kid at heart – despite the teenage midfielder's mature displays for Borussia Dortmund and England.
Bellingham, a certainty for Gareth Southgate's World Cup squad in Qatar next month, comes up against Manchester City tonight as Dortmund host them in the Champions League.
The 19-year-old scored in Dortmund's 2-1 defeat at City last month and said he sees himself like any other youngster his age, despite his precocious talent and growing profile. “People are always saying to me how mature I am and I don't really see it, personally,” said Bellingham, who joined Dortmund from Birmingham in 2020.
“When I'm in interviews and stuff, you see the side of me that's really focused on the question that you're asking me.
"But at home, I'm like any normal kid – I want to have conversations, I want to have a laugh, I want to mess around a little bit.
“I'm still 19, I've won maybe one trophy in my career and it's not enough, really. I want to win way more and I want to continue to push the boundaries of my own potential and talent.”
Reflecting on his move to Dortmund two years ago, Bellingham said: “It was just the track record of the club with the young players. “It was tough because I knew I had a really big decision coming up and I had a lot of time to make it, and often that's the worst and best thing.
“The Bundesliga started a few weeks earlier than the Championship and I got to see what the team looked like.
"When I watched the team, I felt like there were places I could really improve Dortmund and where Dortmund could really improve me. The more I watched the team, I thought 'Yeah, I've got a chance here'.”
