Mark Bellingham hits seven as England veterans launch memorable family weekend

Mark Bellingham scored seven goals on his England over-50s debut as the father of Jude and Jobe Bellingham capped a memorable weekend for the family.

The 50-year-old started in attack against Republic of Ireland in Cambridgeshire on Saturday, scoring six times before half-time. He added another goal after the break and also provided an assist as England secured a 13-1 victory.

The match marked Bellingham’s first appearance for England after receiving his initial call-up to the Three Lions squad. His selection came after a lengthy career in non-league football, during which he played for 22 clubs across 17 years.

Among those clubs were Leamington and Bromsgrove Sporting, while he also represented Cheltenham Town and Newport County in the late 1990s.

Bellingham retired from football in 2019 but continued to take part in veterans’ competitions. He subsequently decided to return to competitive action for England’s meeting with Republic of Ireland, producing a remarkable seven-goal performance.

His display completed an impressive weekend for the Bellingham family, with both of his sons also making headlines at club level.

Jude scored his 50th goal for Real Madrid as they beat Racing Santander 3-0. The England midfielder’s milestone came as Real Madrid claimed victory in the match.

Meanwhile, younger brother Jobe produced a strong performance for Borussia Dortmund in their 2-2 draw with Bayern Munich. The 20-year-old was praised by several analysts, who described it as his best display for Dortmund since joining the German club 15 months ago, according to the Mirror.

Jobe was unable to add a goal to his performance, however, after an effort was disallowed because of a foul by his team-mate Carney Chukwuemeka.

Both Jude and Jobe have previously spoken positively about the influence their father had during the early stages of their football development in Birmingham. Mark remained closely involved in their journeys as they progressed from the city’s football scene to the highest level of the game.

His England debut therefore provided another notable moment in a family weekend already defined by performances from all three Bellinghams.