Birmingham City fans have been treated to the services of a number of talented players throughout the years.

The Blues fans will never forget how their team upset Arsenal 2-1 in the 2011 League Cup final, with goals from Nikola Zigic and Obafemi Martins.

Tough times were on the way for the St Andrew’s club, however, as they were demoted from the Premier League later that year and remained in the Championship until being relegated to League One in 2024.

By 2025, Birmingham had given their fans much to celebrate about, having won the third-tier title with an impressive 111 points.

Jude Bellingham received high-profile interest before Birmingham City breakthrough; Blues ended up making a nice profit.

One of the Blues’ greatest success stories is that of eventual Real Madrid and England superstar Jude Bellingham, who rose through the academy ranks at the West Midlands club before making his senior debut in the 2019/20 Championship season, which proved to be his only season with his hometown club before moving to German giants Borussia Dortmund.

Because of the Covid-19 pandemic, the 2019/20 academic year was interrupted before finishing in the summer.

Bellingham, however, did not let the unusual circumstances surrounding his first season in the senior game deter him, scoring four goals and two assists in 41 Championship games.

The dynamic midfielder made his Birmingham debut in an EFL Cup match against Portsmouth in August 2019, becoming the club’s youngest senior player at 16 years and 38 days old.

His first Championship appearance came less than three weeks later, as a substitute in a 3-0 away loss to Swansea City.

According to Birmingham Live, Bellingham had already drawn suitors from around Europe before making his Blues debut, but the West Midlands club was able to withstand such attention and keep his services until he finished a full season at senior level.

The St Andrew’s side received significant advantages for maintaining the homegrown talent until the summer of 2020, when he joined Borussia Dortmund.

According to Sky Sports, Blues sold Bellingham to Dortmund for £25 million when he was only 17 years old.

The England international quickly established himself as a valuable addition to the Bundesliga giants, appearing in 46 games across all competitions in his first season at Signal Iduna Park, scoring four goals and assisting four times.

Bellingham also earned silverware during his debut season at Dortmund, in the form of the German Cup.

On an individual level, the midfielder’s best was yet to come, as he was named to England’s 2022 World Cup squad and scored the tournament’s first goal in a 6-2 victory over Iran.

Bellingham’s outstanding international exploits in Qatar came just over two years after his Birmingham exit, demonstrating how successfully the Blues managed to retain his services ahead of his senior career, knowing he would go on to glory.

Birmingham City and Borussia Dortmund will be startled by one part of Jude Bellingham’s Real Madrid adventures.

Bellingham’s Dortmund career came to an end in the summer of 2023, when he completed yet another huge transfer, this time to La Liga powerhouse Real Madrid.

The Three Lions star went on to win La Liga, the Champions League, the UEFA Super Cup, and the Spanish Super Cup with the Spanish capital club.

Both Birmingham and Dortmund fans may have sensed that the midfielder was capable of flourishing with Europe’s most successful team.

However, Bellingham began his professional career with Blues as a deep-lying playmaker, a role he frequently played in the German top division, yet in his first season with Madrid, he was used as a false-nine, a role he excelled at.

In actuality, the England star was La Liga’s third most goalscorer in the 2023/24 season, which astonished both St Andrew’s and Dortmund, given that he was not a strong attacking player for either the Championship or Bundesliga.

Meanwhile, Bellingham’s subsequent attacking exploits with Madrid highlight Birmingham’s success in avoiding cashing in on his services before his professional debut.