Let’s hope the record books were written in pencil because, with the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Florian Wirtz and Jude Bellingham smashing their way into footballing folklore, history is rewritten almost by the week these days.
A fortnight ago, when he scored one and set up another in a man of the match performance against Besiktas, Borussia Dortmund’s Dudley-born dynamo superseded Mbappe as the youngest player to score in successive Champions League games.
Two weeks later, Bellingham the Brilliant was at it again.
At just 18 years and 91 days, he’s now the youngest player to start ten consecutive matches in Europe’s premier club competition.
And it’s worth mentioning the man he relegated to second place, Mateo Kovacic, was plying his trade for Dinamo Zagreb at the time.
Bellingham, in contrast, is the go-to midfield general for a club that also boasts the playmaking talents of Axel Witsel, Mo Dahoud, Julian Brandt, Emre Can and Real Madrid loanee Reinier.
The uber-experienced Thomas Delaney was even sold to Sevilla after losing his place to a teenager born just 12 months after Liverpool signed one of the bright young stars of the East Asian World Cup – a fresh-faced El Hadji Diouf.
Doesn’t that make you feel old?
Could Jude Bellingham swap Dortmund for Liverpool?
“He is the most mature 18-year-old player I have ever seen,” says Dortmund teammate Mats Hummels, the veteran defender who has won pretty much every piece of silverware on offer in professional football.
“Jude is already someone who leads the way and also one of the loudest in the team. He’s a great kid. I think I’ve told him about 25 times now that I love him.”
Unfortunately for Hummels – and Dortmund for that matter – it’s a love affair likely to end in heartbreak.
According to the Daily Star, Liverpool are leading the race for Bellingham’s sought-after signature, although they will face serious competition from Premier League rivals Manchester United and Chelsea.
Reds skipper and England teammate Jordan Henderson even described Bellingham as a “fantastic player” not so long ago.
From Jadon Sancho to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Dortmund have made a name for themselves as a stable stepping stone for young players looking to make their name on the biggest stage.
And Bellingham could be the next to leave one of Europe’s most prosperous production lines.
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