JUDE BELLINGHAM is living his best life right now.
Tipped to be the next winner of the Ballon d’Or, at only 20, he has become Real Madrid’s talisman.
While for England, the midfielder is one of the first names on Gareth Southgate’s team sheet.
Away from football, things can’t get any better either.
In his personal life, he has found love with Dutch model Laura Celia Valk.
She has now become a staple of his Madrid lifestyle, hitting the city’s hotspots while he keeps his low-key persona in check.
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He lives in the exclusive La Finca neighbourhood, where many of his team-mates reside.
While he loves nothing more than sipping on cans of Fanta, or visiting his local coffee shop where he’s known simply just as ‘Jude’ and not the superstar footballer he is.
Life in Madrid
When Jude moved to Madrid, his family made the very conscious of decision to support their sons in the best way possible.
Jude’s younger brother Jobe moved to Sunderland last summer, the same month the Three Lions star completed his dream transfer to the Bernabeu.
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Their mum and dad – Denise and Mark – made the decision to uproot from Stourbridge at the cost of their time together.
Mark, who was until 2022 a sergeant with West Midlands Police, moved with Jobe to Wearside.
Devoted mum Denise made the sacrifice to leave the UK, spending time apart from her husband, to live with Jude in Madrid.
They reportedly settled in a flat in the stunning La Finca neighbourhood, where pop stars, actors and most recently footballers prefer.
It was where Cristiano Ronaldo called home during his time at Los Blancos.
While France legend Zinedine Zidane returned to La Finca when he became Real Madrid coach.
Properties fetch up to £11million in the area, while it offers the privacy that Bellingham craves.
According to reports, mum Denise sometimes makes his bed for him.
She often drives him to the club’s training too, making sure to manage his accounts, swelled by a £220,000-per-week salary, and affairs, in lieu of using an agent.
Those drives in his company car – a BMW XM worth £155,000 – will be comfortable at least.
“My mum is there to just keep everything neutral really,” he told the Daily Mail.
“Without my mum, sometimes I’d get too low with the lows or too high with the highs and I stay pretty humble because I’ve got her around.
“It’s also great to have her there because she’s a great laugh as well. We get on so well and we’re always doing stuff together.”
Humble is the optimum word for Bellingham’s existence.
You can’t take the Birmingham out of the boy, he still loves his Fanta.
But he’s also now a fan of Madrid’s artisan coffee shops.
One particular, he visits regularly, makes him feel very normal.
Speaking to RMTV (via Marca), he revealed: “There are times when I go out to have a coffee near my house or go downtown to eat. Then I go back home to rest for a while in the garden if it’s nice and sunny.
“If my friends are here, we go out to dinner and back home. It’s really nice. You meet people in the places you go to most.
“They don’t see you as Jude Bellingham the footballer, just Jude who comes to have a coffee and that’s great. The people I meet in the city look after me a lot. I feel at home”.
Model girlfriend
As we exclusively revealed, Jude has now scored off the pitch with stunning Dutch model Laura Celia Valk.
She has been invited from her native Amsterdam to his Madrid home for several dates. His mum must approve.
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But while Jude has been careful in keeping their rendezvous under wraps, the same can’t be said for influencer Laura, who spilled all the beans during a recent photoshoot.
A source told The Sun: “Laura has been telling everyone about the relationship.
“She’s been staying at his place in Madrid over the past few weekends and is completely smitten.”
The pair follow each other on Instagram, where Laura posted a string of snaps dining at The Madrid EDITION hotel earlier this month with a mystery companion believed to be Bellingham.
She was also seen at the Bernabeu – cheering him on as the hosts beat Athletic Club 2-0 at the end of March.
The real deal
Cutting a fashionable figure away from the beautiful game, Bellingham has been selective about who endorses him.
Currently, he is tied up to a multi-million pound deal with Adidas.
They already believe he has the power to emulate Michael Jordan, and are reportedly ready to copy Nike’s blueprint by replicating the ‘Jumpman’ logo with one of Bellingham’s trademark goal celebration.
Last year, he was pictured at Paris Fashion Week enjoying pop star Pharell’s collection with Louis Vuitton and dressed from head-to-toe in their designer clobber.
He repeated the trick by wearing a full LV suit as he was awarded the Kopa Trophy at the 2023 Ballon d’Or ceremony.
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That has led to rumours that he is expected to be unveiled as their next brand ambassador.
We’re all living in Bellingham’s world, now.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
