There were chaotic and crazy scenes at West One, a bar in Hagley near where Bellingham went to primary school, as punters packed in for Monday’s clash at the Azteca Stadium.
Pints were thrown into the air as the Real Madrid star helped England to the quarter finals. Some of his schoolfriends were among the crowd and were overheard saying they’d be texting him to say congratulations.
“It was electric,” said Claire Leddington, the general manager of West One. Its owners are one of the sponsors of Stourbridge FC, where Bellingham played as a child.
“We turned over a hundred people away at the door… we literally could not fit anybody else inside.”
She described seeing Bellingham at the World Cup as “inspirational for the youngsters that come in”.
“You just don’t see someone so local, making such an impact on the world stage,” she said.
“The staff, people that are coming in throughout the week are saying, I can’t believe what Jude’s doing. It’s incredible.”
“He just seems like a really nice kid.”
