‘Everyone adores him’: fans watch England’s Jude Bellingham in his home town

"They love him. Everyone here loves him. The things he has accomplished are truly unbelievable," says 26-year-old soccer enthusiast Kyle Jackson.

It's almost time for England's last group match against Slovenia on Tuesday evening, and the seats at the Green Duck Brewery in Stourbridge are already full. Everyone is excited to see Jude Bellingham play.

"He has achieved great success and represents our community well," Jackson remarks. "It fills us with pride to see someone like him coming from our area. The chants of 'He belongs to us' can be heard everywhere."

Bellingham hails from Stourbridge, a market town in the West Midlands located approximately 10 miles away from Birmingham. The community takes great pride in this young man, who, at just 20 years of age, is already recognized as one of the top footballers globally.

The town of Bellingham is buzzing with anticipation, and the Green Duck has made a generous decision to offer a complimentary beer to all customers in the taproom every time he scores during a game.

He accomplished this in the 13th minute of England's opening game of the tournament, resulting in over 100 complimentary drink vouchers being given out to the audience.

"The atmosphere was fantastic. We were brainstorming ideas and decided to offer some free beer," stated Alex Hill, the director of the brewery.

"We absolutely made the right decision and we followed through on our promise. It's a delightful gesture that shows our appreciation for our customers. There is a great sense of admiration for him in this place. Everyone in the community is eager to connect with him. We have a beautiful mural of him, and I often spot people proudly displaying flags with Jude's image. It's truly wonderful to see."

Tuesday night was filled with frustrated shouts, people throwing their hands up in frustration, and pounding fists on tables because England couldn't score any goals during their 90 minutes against Slovenia.

Many fans felt that Bellingham didn't play his best in the game, and a common opinion was that the England team hasn't been very impressive throughout the tournament. Despite this, one fan in the crowd expressed optimism, saying, "As England fans, we always hold on to hope."

Wearing a Bellingham soccer jersey, Holly Miller-Manly, 39, says that everyone in the town has a strong connection with him.

"Watching the Stourbridge flags being displayed on TV during the games gives the impression that the town is gaining recognition," she explains. "He sets a good example for children. He visited my daughter's school not long ago and conducted a training session with them. This happened just six months ago, so he was already quite popular by then."

A lot of supporters in the crowd have been following Bellingham throughout his journey, starting from his early days at Birmingham City where he became the youngest player to join the first team in the club's history back in 2019.

"I love Blues, so I recall seeing him in action. I still remember when he scored his first goal - we were victorious with a score of 2-1 and he got the game-winning goal," shared 30-year-old resident of Stourbridge, Matt Owen.

At the age of 16, when he was already competing at the senior level in football, it wasn't obvious that he would become the top player in the world. However, it was clear that he had the potential to be exceptionally talented.

He describes the vibe in Stourbridge when Bellingham scores for England as unique. He notes that there aren't many well-known individuals from Stourbridge, especially in the world of sports. So, having someone who could potentially be a future England captain come from this area is truly mind-blowing.

His friend, Alex Jeavons, 31, mentioned that the popularity of the individual is not limited to Stourbridge and the Midlands. He is well-liked in general due to his demeanor, behavior, and mature way of speaking, despite being only 20 years old. People are drawn to him because of these qualities.

"It's pretty unbelievable that he could actually be the top football player globally, and he's from our hometown."