Following brother s footsteps Bellingham Jr. joins Dortmund

Sports Weekly All-Media Special Correspondent Huang Sijun

Dortmund successfully introduced English star Job Bellingham from Premier League promoted Sunderland and signed with him until June 30, 2030. To get the talented midfielder who was only 19 years old, Dortmund paid Sunderland more than 30 million euros, up from the 25 million he paid when he introduced his brother Zude from Birmingham City five years ago (the total price was later added to 30.15 million after transferring to Real Madrid).

About a week ago, German media had already reported that Dortmund defeated Frankfurt and won the battle for Job Bellingham. Because he often went to Iduna Signal Park to watch football while playing for his brother at Dortmund, Job was impressed by the atmosphere there and had a good impression of the environment of the entire club in Dortmund.

Then, Dortmund and Sunderland negotiated on the transfer fee. Job and Sunderland had a termination clause of about 40 million euros in the original contract, but it was reported that there was a gentleman agreement between him and the club, and he could be taken away as long as there was a club willing to pay 30 million. In the end, Dortmund agreed to pay Sunderland a basic transfer fee of 30.5 million euros, and will add up to 5 million in the future. It is reported that only half of the floating part has a high possibility of realization, that is, Dortmund should eventually pay 33 million to the "Black Cat". In addition, Sunderland also received a 10% share of the second transfer. Once Job switches to a wealthy family at a high price like his brother Zude in the future, the transfer fee will further increase.

According to statistics from the "Transfer Market" website, Job became the third most expensive acquisition in Dortmund's history, which is the same as the price of buying Hummels from Bayern in the summer of 2019. If it rises to 33 million, he will surpass Alex (31 million) and rise to second place, second only to the 35 million he introduced Ottoman Dembele from Rennes in the summer of 2016 - Dembele's basic transfer fee is actually only 15 million. Job's annual salary in Dortmund is about 3.5 million euros, which is basically the same as his brother's treatment when he joined 5 years ago. Job will immediately follow Dortmund to the Club World Cup and will wear the No. 77 jersey during the US game.

Dortmund Sports General Manager Ricken said: "Job is a talented player who, despite his young age, has shown remarkable maturity and game wisdom. We believe that he is fully in line with our philosophy of developing young players and providing them with opportunities to grow at the highest level of play. His professionalism, vitality and ambition will strengthen our team. We look forward to accompanying him on a new journey and firmly believe that he will play an important role in the future of Dortmund."

Dortmund Sports Supervisor Kyle said: "We have known Job for many years and of course we have been paying close attention to his growth. Last year, he took another big step, and now at the age of 19, he has grown into an absolute leader. His influence and personal charm in the midfield are eye-catching, which will help us make progress in different systems. We are very happy to complete the transfer before the Club World Cup, and we will see Job wearing a Dortmund jersey for the first time in the United States."

Berringham brothers are both from Birmingham City Youth Training Camp, and both are in the No. 8 position. But unlike his brother, Job did not win the main position in the first team, so he switched to another Championship club, Sunderland, in the summer of 2023. After joining the "Black Cat", Job immediately became the main force and had already handed in 45 games, 7 goals and 1 assist in the English Championship in the 2023-24 season. In the past season, Job has contributed 4 goals and 3 assists in 40 Championship games, leading the team to fourth place, and then returned to the Premier League after defeating Coventry and Sheffield United in the upgrade play-offs. Since his debut, he has accumulated experience in 109 Championships (11 goals) and 3 Championship upgrade play-offs.

Starting from the U15 team, Job has been a regular visitor to England's teams at all levels and is currently an U21 international. Before joining Dortmund, he was preparing for the European Youth Championship at the U21 team, but he had already greeted the team in advance and would not go to Slovakia, but would immediately represent Dortmund in the Club World Cup. Job said: "I am very happy to be a Dortmund player now and will compete for the championship with this great club. I want to do my part to celebrate the victory with these amazing fans here. I will work hard every day to achieve this with the team. I am very happy to wear a black and yellow jersey in the Club World Cup."