While his superstar brother was making the earth-shattering move to Real Madrid in 2023, Jobe Bellingham was securing a move of his own as he left Birmingham City for Sunderland.

With a brother like Jude Bellingham, it would be easy for the youngster to coast off the midfielder's star power and use his reputation and the weight that the Bellingham name now holds to his advantage, but the then-18-year-old instead requested to keep his surname off his shirt at the Stadium of Light.

The decision wasn't a simple one either, with Sunderland having to request permission from the EFL for the youngster to remove his last name, and he isn't the only player to have changed the name on his shirt. But what was behind his reasoning for ditching 'Bellingham' from the back of his jersey?

Why Jobe Removed 'Bellingham' From Shirt

While he initially wore 'Bellingham' on the back of his Birmingham City shirt, the youngster requested to have 'Jobe' following his move to Sunderland - and it's due to a desire to forge a separate legacy away from the superstardom that surrounds his brother.

While Jude has taken La Liga by storm and is making global headlines at both club and international level, his younger brother is keen to make his own name in football and doesn't want to be known primarily for being the Real Madrid ace's sibling.

Former Sunderland manager Tony Mowbray revealed as much, telling reporters:

"I think he’s trying to create his own identity. He doesn’t want to live off the back of his brother’s name; he wants to be the footballer that he is and show people what he can do.”

It would have been easy for the Borussia Dortmund ace to take advantage of his brother's status as one of the best midfielders in football to further his career, so the decision to step out of his shadow and do things the hard way is an admirable one to make.

Jobe Bellingham's Rise

Signing with Sunderland on June 14, 2023 - the same day his brother joined Real Madrid - Jobe's move went under the radar. It didn't stay that way for long as the midfielder got off to an incredible start and repaid the faith shown in him by the club.

Bellingham spent two years with the club, playing 90 games and recorded 15 goal contributions over that period. He signed with the Black Cats following their return to the Championship, but helped guide them back to the promised land and the Premier League, beating Sheffield United in the play-off final. Once he'd helped them secure top flight football for the first time in nearly a decade, the midfielder decided to move on.

The pick of his goals to date came in March 2024 during Sunderland's 4-2 defeat against Southampton at St Mary's, as the Englishman curled a long-range effort beautifully into the far corner. Watch that goal below:

Jobe's career hasn't taken off quite as quickly as his brother's, but he's certainly on the right track. After making just three appearances for Birmingham during the 2021-22 season, he earned a spot in the club's first team the following campaign on a semi-regular basis. He only played 23 games for the side that term but did enough in those limited minutes to convince Sunderland that he was worth pursuing.

After two years with Sunderland, Jobe followed in his older brother's footsteps and moved to Borussia Dortmund shortly after the 2024/25 campaign wrapped up.

And in November 2026, he earned his first call-up to England's senior team, with Thomas Tuchel selecting him for the UEFA Nations League fixtures against Croatia and Spain.

While Jobe may not match the same global superstar status as his older brother, the England call-up shows that he's a quality footballer in his own right - and he's proving it without the Bellingham name potentially weighing him down.