Jude Bellingham‘s mum, dad and brother turned up to Wembley five hours before the Champions League final kick-off.
Bellingham, 20, has been a revelation for Real Madrid in his debut season for the club, and they face Borussia Dortmund for the top club prize in European football.
His family have been particularly supportive of his footballing journey from Birmingham City to the Bernabeu, and they wanted to be part of the atmosphere at Wembley long before the game got underway.
Bellingham’s mum Denise, dad Mark and brother Jobe were in their red seats at the home of English football far ahead of the start of the game, as caught in footage by TNT Sports.
Jude Bellingham has a pre-match ritual where he ‘visualises’ himself on the pitch ahead of matches, and it appeared that he did this before the start of warm-ups on Saturday. Â
On the subject of having your family at the big games, pundit Rio Ferdinand explained: ‘Crazy. I’ll never forget, when we won in Moscow, the whole stadium screaming and shouting, I heard my mum’s voice.Â
‘My mum was screaming, clamouring over people to get to me before we went up the stairs to get the trophy. And that’s one of the most emotional moments I’ve ever had in a football stadium.
‘I know what it’s like, the family play such a big part in getting us to this stage. They have to be a part of it.’Â
Fellow TNT Sports guest Jose Mourinho said: ‘Special player, special family. To see that family, the way they are there, they are not looking for cameras, they are not looking for the VIP seats, they are just there to support their kid in the most humble way.
‘For me, it’s really beautiful. Family, we play for them, especially in these moments, we play for them. To have mum, my kids, my father, my wife, at the finals, we play for them. We play for the people that love us and support us.’Â Â
Speaking to TNT Sports ahead of Real Madrid’s semi-final against Bayern Munich, Bellingham discussed his pre-match tradition, explaining:Â ‘I like to visualise the game. See the field, the grass, my playing positions… This way I feel calmer, I know where I am going to be on the field.
‘It is something that I have been doing throughout my career and thanks to it I enter the matches without nerves and prepared for everything. They taught me this from a very young age and I continue to practice it.’