Oh, it’s so ironic. Borussia Dortmund fans are still coming to terms with their painful title bottle job on the final day of the season, and they have received the news that their star midfielder Jude Bellingham has been named the Player of the Season in Germany. The award comes just two days after his team’s 2-2 home draw against Mainz saw them lose out on the title on goal difference to Bayern.Bellingham, an unused substitute against Mainz after picking up a knee injury, played 2,693 league minutes, the most of any BVB player, scoring eight goals and making four assists.”Every year or half year that I’ve played at the club, my responsibility in the team has increased. I came to the club as a talented lad, but I have added elements to my game that have taken it to the next level. I have to continue to be everywhere on the pitch and try my best to contribute going forwards and backwards and try and control games, try to dominate the midfield. I want my teammates to see that I’m always doing everything I can to ensure we win. If we lose a game, I’m the worst person.” 🏴 19-year-old Jude Bellingham’s stats for Borussia Dortmund:👕 132 games⚽️ 24 goals🎯 25 assists🏆 1x DFB-Pokal✨ 1x Bundesliga POTS💫 2x Bundesliga TOTS✅ Real Madrid will soon announce the signing of England midfielder Jude Bellingham from Dortmund. ⚪️ pic.twitter.com/sb7xH60sgv— Sholy Nation Sports (@Sholynationsp) May 29, 2023 Having also played a starring role for England at last year’s World Cup in Qatar, Bellingham has been linked with a move to Real Madrid this year. After joining the Black-and-Yellows from Birmingham City at 17, Bellingham became an integral part of head coach Edin Terzic’s side, becoming the younger player to captain a Bundesliga side when he led the team out against Cologne in October.It is a commonly known story that Bellingham’s liking for the No. 22 shirt is because his coach at Birmingham City saw him as a player with the skill set to play as a 10, as an eight and as a four. Add all of those digits up, and you have the number printed on the back of many a Dortmund fan’s Black-and-Yellow shirt. It is no exaggeration to say that, this season, Bellingham has shown flashes of the characteristics of some iconic players to have worn those numbers: the grace of a forward-moving Zinedine Zidane, for example, or the tough tackling and determination of a Steven Gerrard or Patrick Vieira.##NAJAVA_MECA_7284029##Like those legends, Bellingham is also unafraid to voice his opinion to teammates almost twice his age and has since remoulded that burning desire for those around him to follow his never say die attitude into a force for positive encouragement. It meant it was almost no surprise when the boy from Birmingham was named the club’s third captain behind legends Marco Reus and Mats Hummels, an honour that appeared to hasten his already impressive evolution.Frank took charge of his local fifth-division team for two games in 2007 – and he led them to the BundesligaThe Bundesliga said the England midfielder’s “performances are worthy of recognition” as he collected the award selected by a vote from fans, clubs and experts. According to Bundesliga statistics, throughout the 2022/23 season, Bellingham also covered more distance, 322 kilometres, than any of his teammates and won 482 duels, a league-high.
