Mark Bellingham scores seven on England Veterans debut as sons shine for club and country

Mark Bellingham scored seven goals on his England Veterans debut as the 50-year-old father of Jude and Jobe Bellingham helped his side to a 13-1 victory over the Republic of Ireland in Cambridgeshire on Saturday.

Bellingham Sr hit six before half-time and added a seventh after the break, capping a weekend in which all three members of the footballing family made headlines. England fan Claudia Murillo paid tribute on social media: “Special congratulations to manager Steve Edkins on his 100th international appearance, and a spectacular debut for Mark Bellingham with those 7 goals. Brilliant result, gentlemen!”

Mark made his debut up front alongside player-manager Steve Edkins, earning his first call-up to represent the Three Lions at veterans level. It marked a return to competitive football for the former non-league striker, who had a 17-year career spanning 22 clubs — including Leamington, Bromsgrove Sporting, Cheltenham Town and Newport County — before hanging up his boots in 2019. He had continued to compete in veterans’ tournaments before coming out of retirement for Saturday’s fixture.

The timing could hardly have been better for the Bellingham family. Jude, 23, scored his 50th goal in all competitions for Real Madrid in a 3-0 win over Racing Santander, having joined the Spanish club as a 19-year-old for £88.5 million. The England midfielder has now earned 60 caps for the senior national side, scoring 14 goals, with seven of those coming at last summer’s World Cup in the United States, where England finished third.

Younger brother Jobe, 21, also impressed in the Bundesliga as Borussia Dortmund drew 2-2 with Bayern Munich — a result many pundits described as his best performance since joining the club from Sunderland for £27.8 million 15 months ago, even though a goal of his was disallowed. Jobe currently captains the England Under-21 side and has worn the armband for each of his last 11 appearances at that level.

Both brothers have previously spoken about the role their father played in supporting their early careers in Birmingham, and Saturday’s result gave Mark Bellingham a story of his own to tell.