It is difficult to sum up Jude Bellingham’s impact at Real Madrid since he arrived in Spain last summer.
In less than six months, the 20-year-old Englishman has become one of Madrid’s most influential players. He is the team’s top scorer in all competitions with 18 goals and La Liga’s joint top-scorer with 14 — all while becoming a leader on and off the pitch.
The website Transfermarkt classes him as the player with the highest market value in the world at €180million ($194m; £154m) and even head coach Carlo Ancelotti, who does not tend to use superlatives, has said he is “obviously the best”.
Respected former players have likened him to Madrid greats Cristiano Ronaldo and Zinedine Zidane. Some have even compared him to the legendary Alfredo Di Stefano — icons don’t get bigger at Real Madrid.
The ‘Bellingham Phenomenon’ transcends generations, with children and adults alike imitating his open-arms gesture in the stands of the Santiago Bernabeu whenever he scores. Even Madrid’s next young Brazilian talent, Endrick, copied Bellingham when he visited the stadium for the first time before Christmas.
His commercial impact has been heralded too. In October, a well-placed source told The Athletic Bellingham was selling “10 times more jerseys than Vinicius Junior” while a sports marketing expert said he was on his way to building a “human but commercial machine” in the same way as Roger Federer.
But could Brand Bellingham be about to become even bigger than those experts thought possible?
Trademark listings held by the UK government’s Intellectual Property Office show that the name ‘Jude Bellingham’ is registered for 16 ‘classes’ of almost 1,000 weird and wonderful goods and services. This means Bellingham can take legal action against anyone who uses his brand without his permission and could sell and license these products if he so wishes.
For example, under goods and services categorised as ‘Class 3’ we find a listing of shoe polish creams — something Bellingham himself does not need given his team-mates mimic cleaning his boots every time he scores.
Under ‘Class 9’, DVD players are mentioned. Will they make a comeback under the Bellingham brand? You’d be foolish to bet against it.
Also listed are bracelets and necklaces. Paint brushes. We know Bellingham is an artist with the ball, but what we didn’t know is that he could name a real work of art after himself.
Things get a little stranger with the goods and services described under ‘Class 18’, which include clothing for animals. Fans pointed out a video of a vulture appearing to perform Bellingham’s celebration, so why not take the logical next step? The “dog tags for wear by humans for decorative purposes” mentioned in Class 35 seem to make a little less sense.
Under ‘Class 21’, teaware seems to be a good fit for an ambassador for Britain. There’s also mention of bed covers and products for all seasons — from “floats, inflatable toys and accessories for swimming pools, namely flippers for swimming” to Christmas tree decorations.
Here are a few more of those outlandish trademarks:
Class 25: Clothing, slippers
Bellingham is already making use of his image to sell plenty of shirts with Madrid, so why not go even further and become a fashion icon in his own right? His touch is so deft that some might argue he already plays as if wearing slippers.
Class 28: Christmas crackers
Not satisfied with decorating your Christmas tree with Bellingham baubles? Fear not — you can also celebrate the season with crackers.
Class 28: Teddy bears
Quite what form these would take is anyone’s guess, but Bellingham’s goals have certainly provided comfort to Los Blancos fans young and old this season.
Class 28: Pinatas
Maybe one for frustrated Barcelona supporters looking to get their own back on their arch-rivals’ talisman. The more fervent Madridistas would claim Bellingham has been facing this kind of treatment from opponents all season…
Class 32: Beer
Bellingham is not supposed to drink it, but a beer brewed in his native Midlands could do well in Madrid. Tankards are covered in Class 21 and mats for beer glasses in class 16, so you will have something to drink it out of and somewhere to place it, too.
Class 35: Contact lenses
Blink and you miss certain moves from the midfielder — including a backheeled nutmeg on Atletico Madrid’s Marcos Llorente from the weekend, below — so these could help fans see the full picture.
Este chico 𝔼𝕊 𝕄𝕌𝕐 𝔹𝕌𝔼ℕ𝕆. 🤩
🤍 @BellinghamJude 🤍#ElDerbiDeMadrid#LALIGAEASPORTS#LALIGAHighlights pic.twitter.com/pbFddCK03X
— LALIGA (@LaLiga) February 4, 2024
Class 35: Egg timers, oven mitts
Who among us hasn’t wanted to perform Bellingham’s celebration after cooking the perfect lasagne? Now you can time your meals to perfection and take them safely out of the oven, all while channelling the England star.
Class 35: Dog tags for wear by humans for decorative purposes
We really have no idea.
Class 36: Insurance, financial consultancy
Bellingham has already proven that €103m plus 30 per cent in variables is a reliable investment, so why wouldn’t you trust him with your savings?
(Top photo by Diego Souto/Getty Images)
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