Meet Dortmund’s next English wonderkid, 19, set to be heir to Bellingham’s throne ahead of Champions League final

JUDE BELLINGHAM named fellow Englishman abroad Jamie Bynoe-Gittens as his heir-apparent to the Golden Boy award when the Real Madrid superstar won it in December.

This weekend, wonderkid Bynoe-Gittens can beat his old Borussia Dortmund mucker to the most precious prize in club football when they meet in the Champions League final.

Bynoe-Gittens, 19, may well be one of the most exciting young English talents that many fans in this country are unaware of.

That is because he has never played professionally for a club over here, choosing instead to go the Jadon Sancho route of joining Dortmund straight from Manchester City’s academy.

A similarly tricky wideman, Bynoe-Gittens shares the same agent as Sancho and looked up to the 24-year-old as a youngster, as well as the Brazilian Ronaldo and Kylian Mbappe.

The pair are of course now team-mates in the Dortmund first-team since Sancho joined on loan from Manchester United in January.

Born in Reading, Bynoe-Gittens’ initial love for football came from playing ‘Wembley’ in the primary-school playground, a game involving one goal, one goalkeeper and a whole load of individual outfield players where the aim is to score goals and have fun.

He is a success story of just letting kids enjoy the sport without pressure – in an age where some parents take things way too seriously if their children show a hint of a talent.

Martyn Beney coached Bynoe-Gittens as a seven-year-old at local club Caversham Trents, who also produced female star Fran Kirby.

The 49-year-old told SunSport: “A month into his training with us, we were thinking ‘Christ, this boy has got some serious ability’. His dribbling was incredible, even as a six-year-old.

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“Jamie was a shy boy behind the scenes, with a really nice, sporty family, but they didn’t push him. 

“They said they wanted him to be coached in a way where he could enjoy it, learn a few things along the way and can develop naturally. That’s exactly what we did.

“We worked out quickly that he was a goal-scorer, and he scored a ridiculous number of goals.

“But he was happy to play anywhere. He would even go in goal at times and he wasn’t bad!

“He was very small so he got lobbed a few times but he was a decent shot-stopper and very brave.”

Bynoe-Gittens left Caversham to join Reading where his tricks and flicks were allowed to flourish without stress.

Recalling that carefree time in a recent interview, he said: “It was just, go out there and try to rip the person in front of me. 

“Do a stepover, make him embarrass himself. That was my mindset back then.”

But it was in Manchester City’s academy, after a stint at Chelsea and then back to Reading, where he began to think more like a pro.

His train to City would take three hours so he would stay with a host family up there and joined a new school in Manchester. The distance was tough on both him and his family.

He was highly-rated at City but in 2020 moved to Dortmund, believing it would provide him a quicker route to the first team.

A month into his training with us, we were thinking ‘Christ, this boy has got some serious ability’. His dribbling was incredible, even as a six-year-old.

Martyn Beney

The teenager would be proven right, but it came with challenges beyond just adapting to a new league and new country.

Germany was in lockdown when he arrived due to Covid-19, and he was left stuck in youth digs on the academy campus which he has admitted was “hard”.

He also suffered with numerous injuries, most notably shoulder problems which dated back from when he was 14.

Bynoe-Gittens has had both joints operated on so is hopeful the issues have been resolved.

The winger was part of England’s triumphant Under-19 Euro campaign two years ago, starting the 3-1 win over Israel in the final alongside recent senior call-up Jarell Quansah.

Bynoe-Gittens had already made his Dortmund debut by then, but found it tough adapting to the increased amount of running needed in the men’s game, particularly in Germany.

He has also had to curb his sweet-tooth ways in his bid to reach the top, confessing: “When I was younger, I used to always eat chocolate and sweets.

“I had to cut that out. Now I try to avoid sugar as much as I can.”

He now has a chef at home and his better diet has helped him flourish, racking up 57 appearances and scoring five goals for Dortmund three months shy of his 20th birthday.

His German is developing nicely too, after three and a half years of three lessons a week, and is even conducting parts of some interviews in it.

Though the England Under-21 star, who has impressed his national set-up with his burning desire to improve, still cannot pronounce their word for ‘right’ (‘recht’)!

It would be correct to assume Borussia boss Edin Terzic will start Bynoe-Gittens on the bench for the Champions League final.

It was just, go out there and try to rip the person in front of me. Do a stepover, make him embarrass himself. That was my mindset back then.

Jamie Bynoe-Gittens

But the youngster has already shown enough this term to suggest he can be relied upon if brought on.

Most notably in the 3-1 group-stage win at AC Milan, when he put his side ahead with a calm, slotted finish.

Instead of playing Wembley like he did as a kid, the teenager will be playing AT Wembley as that is where Uefa’s showpiece final is being staged.

It will cap some journey, which has left those who have played their part in it feeling proud.

Beney added: “To see him develop and get this chance, which we all know is minimal percentages, from a local level, where his parents still live in the village, is a delight.

“To have mentors like Jadon Sancho and Jude Bellingham, who really was the first one to tell reporters, ‘Watch this kid, he’s coming up next’  and to know he started with us, is great. It’s a really nice story and one that the club is very proud of.”

Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk