Birmingham's Jobe Bellingham follows in Jude's footsteps as 16-year-old earns first senior start in Carabao Cup

Jobe Bellingham was handed his first senior start for Birmingham City in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday evening, just like his elder brother Jude three years back. The midfielder has already agreed a professional contract with Birmingham and will sign the deal on September 23, when he turns 17.

Last season, he made his debut for the Blues as a substitute in an FA Cup third-round defeat to Plymouth Argyle and featured on two more occasions in the Championship.

He has also previously appeared for Birmingham's under-23 and under-18 sides after spending his formative years in the academy at St. Andrew's.

How did Bellingham get on in his first senior start for Birmingham?

Bellingham was one of the promising signs for Birmingham in a defeat on penalties to Norwich City in the first round of the Carabao Cup.

He held his own in midfield before being taken off around the hour-mark and even went close to scoring in the first half, placing an effort wide of the post.

His elder brother, Jude, also got his first professional start at the tender age of 16 for Birmingham, in a Carabao Cup first-round fixture away from home against Portsmouth.

He left Birmingham for Borussia Dortmund in 2020, after spending a season as a regular in City's first team.

Can Jobe Bellingham follow in Jude's footsteps?

Jude Bellingham has established himself as one of the instrumental figures in the Borussia Dortmund dressing room and has close to 100 appearances for the club in just over two years. After moving to Germany he has improved exponentially, emerging as one of the top talents in Europe and attracting attention from the likes of Liverpool and Real Madrid.

He scored on his debut against MSV Duisburg in the DFB Pokal aged 17 years, 77 days which made him the club's youngest player to score in any competitive match.

Last season, he made 32 Bundesliga appearances, registering three goals and eight assists.

Bellingham is also a regular for England, making his debut in a friendly against the Republic of Ireland at Wembley back in November 2020. At 17 years, 136 days, he became his country's third-youngest international after Theo Walcott and Wayne Rooney. He has made 15 appearances for The Three Lions so far.

Although his younger brother Jobe has some way to go before matching his sibling's accomplishments, it can be safely said that he has started on the right track.