When England star Jude Bellingham effortlessly caught a beer can that had been launched at him during a goal celebration – fans were impressed.
But the fielding skills he displayed were always there, according to local cricket chairman who witnessed the prodigy’s ‘raw natural’ ability from a young age.
He was taken to Hagley Cricket Club in Worcestershire by his father and despite being only 11 years old, Bellingham already stood out among his peers.
Club chairman Mark Baker, 71, said: ‘His dad brought him along and he had a couple of years playing in our youth sides.
‘You could tell he was a natural-born cricketer from a really early age.
‘He was a very good player – especially because he didn’t have a lot of time for cricket because of his football commitments.
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‘I remember he took a fantastic catch in a youth game. Most people wouldn’t have been able to get near it – but he did.
‘He had incredible coordination, it was just raw natural ability.
‘If he had focused on cricket, he could have gone far in the game. He’s just a special sporting talent.’
It was no surprise then to Mr Baker when the midfield ace, now 21, who was then playing at Borussia Dortmund, caught the beer so easily during a match in September 2021.
Bellingham showed off his reactions when the angry fan’s pint was hurled at speed from the terraces, but he toasted the last-minute win by plucking the ale out of the air and taking a swig on the pitch.
After spitting out the booze, Bellingham later tweeted: ‘Perfect day for my first beer… not a fan.’
Pals say it was a glimpse of what could have been if the midfield prodigy had swapped boots for bats.
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Mr Baker said: ‘He wanted to bowl as fast as he could and he wanted to hit the ball as hard as he could.
‘He had all the physical attributes to have been a brilliant fast bowler.
‘If he picked up a bat now he’d be as good as people who have played for a long time.
‘Jude’s just been born with a special sporting gift which is football’s benefit.
‘You could tell he was a natural born athlete.
‘He had never been taught cricket techniques but he picked it up so quickly. From a cricket perspective, it’s shame he never really had the time to play.
‘When he left us that was the end of his time playing cricket.’
Mr Baker said Jude’s success is the talk of the cricket pavilion.
He added: ‘We all follow him in the papers and the press and wish him the very best.
‘He’s just a wonderful young man, who has stayed grounded and speaks very well.
‘The way he comes across on camera in interview is incredible. A lot of footballers are coached to do media but Jude appears to do it naturally.’
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Former coach Fady Jadayel recalled Jude and his younger brother Jobe – also a talented footballer – at Hagley.
He said: ‘We were doing an indoor session once and he took a one-handed catch.
‘It was only a tennis ball but he threw himself and dived and took it and you just saw he was an unbelievable athlete. We didn’t know how good he was at football.’
Jude’s love of football was instilled by watching his police sergeant dad Mark, 47, bang in 700 goals for non-league clubs across a 20-year career
At non-league Leamington FC, where Mark netted 79 times in just 87 games, the club treasures a picture of a young Jude and Jobe stood next to the FA Cup in the club’s kit.
Chairman Jim Scott, 68, said: ‘Jude was about seven and he wasn’t massively interested in football.
‘But he used to go out on to the training pitch next to our ground and have a kick-about with Jobe and the manager’s son.
‘It was right about the time Jude started to get into football.
‘According to his mum Denise, up until then, if you threw a ball to Jude before then he would catch it, not kick it.
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‘It was around that time he started to develop his passion for the game.’
Dad and son would spend hours having a kick-about on a small patch of grass near the family’s three-bed semi in Hagley.
Jude joined Birmingham City as an under-8 and quickly excelled. He was just 14 when he turned out for the Blues’ under-18 team and made his debut at 15 for the under-23s.
Mark and Denise drove their son to training four times a week, where he pocketed £145 as an apprentice. He is now on a stellar wage of £220,000 per week at Real Madrid after being snapped up last year for £88m.
Jim said: ‘When Jude was 14, Birmingham played their age-group matches at our stadium.
‘That’s when I next caught up with him. And what struck me about young Jude, even at that age, was how remarkably mature he was.
‘Forget about Jude the footballer, Jude the young man was very well brought up with great manners and great standards.
‘He was ever so respectful.’
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Jude made his debut for England under-15s aged 13 and wrote a diary of his experiences for private Priory School in Edgbaston, Birmingham.
Jude wrote: ‘As soon as I stepped out of the car I knew that I was in for a very special experience.
‘Every step I took towards the main entrance, the excitement inside of me grew and grew and grew to the point of which I just wanted to get out onto the pitch.
‘After getting changed and putting on our training essentials we left for the pitches – the crisp, spectacular pitches. For all the players including myself training was a breeze as we prepared lightly for our upcoming game against European heavyweights Turkey.
‘Overall Friday was a fairly long day and I was glad to be tucked up nice and warm at the end of it, realising the importance of a good rest I drifted off. I couldn’t have asked for a better first day.’
Birmingham City academy coach Kristjaan Speakman once described Bellingham as ‘the most sought-after 12-year-old in Europe’.
He became such a cult-hero at Birmingham that when he moved to Dortmund in 2020, the club retired his number 22 shirt.
The star also has a devoted fan club in Kenya, where he helped to raise funds for a new school in a deprived area of Mombasa.
His generosity is equalled at home – he and brother Jobe paid for three life-saving defibrillators outside three schools in Birmingham.
Denise moved to Germany with her son when Dortmund shelled out £25 million – making him the most expensive 17-year-old in history.
Mark has stayed in the UK with Jobe – with Denise now in Madrid.
Bellingham already a business success story – bagging a near £2 million image rights fortune last year.
Company accounts show the midfielder’s firm, Bello & Bello, had assets of £1.87m in the year to February 2023.
He has already trademarked his name and shirt number JB22 against goods including aftershaves, deodorants, duvet covers, toys and drinks.