Sunderland coach Mike Dodds admits he didn't realise just how good Jude Bellingham was until he took a step back from coaching the youngster at their former club Birmingham City. The Black Cats coach has received a number of plaudits for developing the young England midfielder into one of the world's best talents at just 19-years-old.
Dodds took up the role of head player development in Sunderland's academy back in 2021. Alongside Michael Proctor, he was promoted to the first-team coaching set-up under former boss Alex Neil, with the duo becoming interim managers when the Scotsman left for Stoke City earlier this season.
The likes of Liverpool, Manchester United and Real Madrid have all been credited with an interest in the England international, who was one of the standout performers for Gareth Southgate's side at the World Cup. It's difficult to not wax lyrical about the former Blues midfielder and add pressure to such young shoulders.
But, it's Bellingham's maturity at 19, that puts him above other players of the same age. After Harry Kane's penalty miss against France, the young midfielder was the first player over to the Three Lions striker with words of encouragement.
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It was a surprise to the millions of viewers watching the game, but for Dodds, watching him at the World Cup was more surreal. Dodds told the BBC: "I still see the same boy from eight or nine years ago just, just on TV, but look it's a surreal experience for me personally. I always said he was my best coach educator, because if he wasn't happy with a session, if he wasn't happy with the kind of route that his development was going, he would be the first person to let me know his thoughts.
"He was always very honest. He's always been very, very driven in terms of where he wants to get to and he certainly kept me on my toes for that period.
"It wasn't just, you know, an easy upward curve for us both. But he's done everything for me in terms of education, in terms of making me a better coach.
"He probably at times didn't articulate himself the way you would probably want someone to articulate themselves, but that's a part of being a teenager. I've always said because I was almost in the eye of the storm for the best part of almost a decade, I don't think I really appreciated how good he was and it wasn't 'till I kind of stepped away from coaching him day to day, you know, I watched him play at St. Andrew's, which is Birmingham City's home stadium, and I watched him play in the Championship at 16, I kind of sat down, thought 'wow, OK this boy is a little bit different to most.'
"He's just a magnificent human being, you know, he's a role model not for just the young kids of Birmingham, but now the nation. He's got compassion, he's got complete empathy for people around him, from a human perspective I haven't got enough words to kind of praise him with.
"He keeps in contact regularly. He doesn't have to do that, he's obviously said some really wonderful things about me which I'll be forever grateful for, but I think that just sums up the measure of the young man."
Bellingham made the move to Germany to play for Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund at the age of 17, moving away from family to test himself at one of the best talent factories in Europe. "He probably could have made easier decisions in terms of his lifestyle and his family," Dodds said. "But he wanted to make a footballing decision; what was best for his career and what he thought was the next step for him."
The midfielder himself has heaped praise on the Sunderland coach for making him the player he is today. Bellingham said: "He's developed me as a player and also a person, really since I was a kid. He's moulded the person I am today. A lot of the reason I play the way I do is because of him."
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