Jobe Bellingham sends emotional message to Dan Ballard after Sunderland exit
Jobe Bellingham has sent an emotional message to former Sunderland teammate Dan Ballard after he left the Black Cats.
Sunderland sealed promotion to the Premier League last season with a 2-1 win over Sheffield United in the play-off final at Wembley to end their eight-year spell out of the top-flight.
Bellingham and Ballard each played respectively key roles in their success under Regis Le Bris, and it came as little surprise to see the former linked away from Wearside this summer after a stellar campaign with four goals and three assists in 43 Championship appearances from central midfield.
Football Insider revealed in March that the Black Cats were set to demand in excess of £20million for Bellingham’s services amid interest from Chelsea and Tottenham.
The 19-year-old always seemed unlikely to join another English club, however, and Football Insider exclusively reported on 28 May that Bellingham had verbally agreed terms with Borussia Dortmund as he closed in on a move to his brother Jude’s former club.
He officially joined the German giants on 10 June for a reported initial fee of £27million [BBC], putting pen to paper on a five-year contract as he departed Sunderland following two years at the club.
Jobe Bellingham reacts emotionally to Dan Ballard’s post after Sunderland exit
Bellingham posted his own heartfelt message to Sunderland supporters on his Instagram page on the day of his exit, insisting that he will “always represent Wearside” and that he was “so incredibly delighted” to have helped the club back to the Premier League.
His former Black Cats teammate Ballard also took to the social media site on Friday (13 June) to post a recap of the Wembley final with numerous different images, the first of which pictured him and the 19-year-old with their play-off winning medals after the game.
Bellingham reacted emotionally to what the Northern Ireland international shared, commenting crying and heart emojis to show his sadness at departing, and also a wall emoji to praise Ballard’s role in the club’s success.
Bellingham made the right choice in joining Dortmund
Football Insider verdict
Despite their promotion, it always felt like a foregone conclusion that Bellingham would leave Sunderland this summer, and those at the Stadium of Light and Dortmund will be pleased that the move has been done early in the summer to allow them each to move on with other deals.
He has understandably been the subject of heightened scrutiny over the early years of his career, mainly due to his brother’s ability and status, but he is undoubtedly a top player too, and deserves the chance to showcase his talents on a bigger stage.
| Appearances | Goals | Assists |
| 90 | 11 | 4 |
The 19-year-old was the subject of interest from both Chelsea and Tottenham earlier in the campaign, while RB Leipzig and Eintracht Frankfurt both held talks with Bellingham over a move, but he chose Dortmund, and that seems like the wisest move at this stage for a number of reasons.
His new club are one of the biggest in Germany, and Niko Kovac led his side to Champions League qualification last season, so Bellingham will instantly be able to appear in Europe’s premier club competition at the Signal Iduna Park.
As well as that, the fact that his brother played for Dortmund means that he and his family already have a connection to the club, and their supporters are also likely to be a lot more forgiving if the England youth international does take a bit of time to adapt to life in a new country and league.