GRATEFUL Jude Bellingham was determined to make his mother Denise the center of attention after his Wembley triumph to thank her for helping his dreams of glory come true.
The Champions League winner credits the woman he calls the Queen with bringing him within striking distance of Euro greatness.
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Jude, 20, picked Denise, dad Mark and younger brother Jobe from the crowd and later fought back tears as he thanked his family for their support.
He said: “This is the best night of my life. I was fine until I saw my mom and dad’s faces.
“The amount of nights they can be home at seven o’clock and make trips at 11 and 12 at night to take me to football.
“And my little brother, who I’m trying to be a role model for. Yes, it’s the best night of my life.”
Denise, 54, went with the former Birmingham City player when he was sold to Dortmund in 2020 for £21m – then remained by his side when he moved to Madrid last year for an initial £88m.
Retired police officer Mark, 48, remained at home with 18-year-old Jobe, who currently plays for Sunderland.
Denise made a point of celebrating her birthday, in December, in the United Kingdom.
Jude wrote online: “Happy birthday to my queen! I love you more than life.
He admitted: “Without my mom, sometimes I would get very down on the lows or very high on the highs and I remain very humble because I have her around.
“She’s a great laugh too. We get along really well and are always doing things together.
“The role my mother is playing is huge. It’s probably the biggest role of anyone, more than my coaches and managers, to be honest.”
Denise, a former human resources manager, handles all of Jude’s financial affairs, while Mark is her manager.
Jude said: “It leads to great table conversations. It could be anything from a discussion about a film or something that happened to ‘by the way, Real Madrid are interested’.”
He played 42 times for Madrid in their final matches, helping the team win the championship and being named first division player of the year.
Jude bringing home?
Three Lions fans are now hoping he finds renewed strength and continues his incredible year with England at the Euros in Germany.
Chelsea fan Richard Wilson, 36, from Sunbury-on-Thames, Surrey, said: “Jude has played twice as much football as most top professionals his age – he must be exhausted. But he has the ability to become a truly great England player.”
Paul Taylor, the 46-year-old director of a Birmingham construction company, said: “We have the best chance of my life with this team and Jude is our standout player.
“He needs to take a break before the Euros.”
And events organizer Jemma Swift, 39, from west London, said: “We have our best chances of finally winning a trophy.
“If he stays fit and excited, it will be an amazing summer!”
On Saturday night, Jude celebrated the 2-0 win over former club Dortmund by taking Denise off the pitch to meet former Real Madrid manager and TV commentator José Mourinho, nicknamed The Special One.
Jude brought the two together, telling a smiling Mourinho: “Sorry about that, my mum has liked you for years!”
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Mourinho later told TNT Sports: “Special player, special family. Seeing that family, the way they are there, they are not looking for cameras, they are not looking for VIP seats, they are just there to support their son in the most humble way.
“For me it is very beautiful. Family, we play for them, especially in these moments, we play for them.”
Jude said he has only “fond memories” of his childhood in Hagley, West Midlands.
He was not obsessed with football as a child, despite Mark being a prolific non-league striker.
When taken to his father’s training sessions, he chose to make a bouquet of daisies for his mother or play hide and seek.
But he was hooked. He recalled: “We talked about football heroes and my father was the first.”
“Seeing the way he played and the environment made me fall in love with football.”
His family’s unwavering support allowed him to focus on simply being a “good football player” and not get caught up in the trappings of attention and fame.
Big celebrations
Although The Sun revealed he has found romance with Dutch model Laura Celia Valk, 25.
Yesterday he returned to Madrid ahead of a huge parade in the city to mark the club’s 15th European Cup victory.
This means he will not be available for England’s friendly against Bosnia and Herzegovina at St James Park, Newcastle, this evening.
But he will join his team-mates in time for our final pre-Euro friendly against Iceland at Wembley on Friday night.
An English source told The Sun: “He will probably do some light training with the squad on Wednesday or Thursday but Gareth Southgate will want him to take a well-earned break.
“He might be on the bench against Iceland, but it’s unlikely he’ll get game time.
“I’m sure he will be raring to go as soon as the Euros start and will be excited when the time comes.
“He has tasted success and now he will want more in an England shirt.”
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