Jude Bellingham’s Notable Year as a Sports Personality Nominee

Jude Bellingham is among the six nominees for the 2024 BBC Sports Personality of the Year award. BBC Sport reviews the year of the Real Madrid and England footballer through a series of five photographs. In April, Bellingham netted the decisive goal during El Clasico, securing a 3-2 victory for Real Madrid over Barcelona. This achievement established him as Real’s leading English goalscorer of all time, accomplished in his inaugural season with the club. He concluded the 2023-24 season having scored 23 goals across all competitions. Bellingham received the La Liga player of the season honor as Real Madrid claimed the title, having suffered only one defeat. His contribution of 19 league goals surpassed that of any of his team-mates, placing him joint third on La Liga’s list of top scorers. Real Madrid triumphed over Borussia Dortmund with a 2-0 scoreline at Wembley in June, clinching the Champions League title. Bellingham provided the assist for Vinicius Jr’s second goal for Real. Subsequently, Bellingham was recognized as the Champions League young player of the season. Less than a month later, Bellingham emerged as a pivotal figure for England against Slovakia. With the Three Lions on the brink of an early Euro 2024 last-16 elimination, he executed a brilliant overhead kick that forced the match into extra time. Harry Kane then converted a penalty in the first minute of extra time, sealing a 2-1 win for England. Bellingham secured third place in the Ballon d’Or voting, ranking behind Manchester City’s Rodri and his Real Madrid colleague Vinicius Jr. This was the highest placement for an English player since Frank Lampard’s second-place finish in 2005.