The afternoon began with a huge party at the home of Borussia Dortmund. Everything was set for the Bundesliga trophy to appear on the pitch at around 17:155 and the beer was flowing among the fans....CONTINUE READING
In the packed stands at Signal Iduna Park, Jude Bellingham’s mother Denise was ready for the big party, wearing her son’s shirt under her jacket.
The party was also set to be a farewell party for the England midfielder at Dortmund, the last game before he officially commits to becoming a Real Madrid player in the coming days.
But what was set to be a monumental party to celebrate Borussia Dortmund’s ninth Bundesliga title and the end of a decade of Bayern Munich domination ended in one of those painful dramas that mark a club’s history.
A knee problem kept the former Birmingham midfielder out of Edin Terzic’s starting XI, and he was forced to watch in horror as the drama unfolded.
The last thing Jude Bellingham experienced as a Borussia Dortmund player was a tragic afternoon, a game in which his side were expected to win against a Mainz side with nothing to play for.
As the game unfolded, with the score at 2-0 to Mainz after less than half an hour and a penalty missed by Sebastien Haller, the cameras searched for Bellingham’s face several times.
Gradually, the England international’s face became distorted with frustration, the despair of not being on the pitch to help, the hope of Guerreiro’s goal and the final drama of a 2-2 draw that came when there was no time for more and it was already known that Bayern had won in Cologne.
After the game, Bellingham came down to the pitch to console his teammates. The Stourbridge man could not hold back the tears that flooded the eyes of everyone in the Dortmund squad.
It was the worst possible way to say goodbye to an adventure in Germany that began in the summer of 2020 when Borussia Dortmund beat everyone in Europe to take him from Birmingham. Bellingham is leaving the German club behind to try and win leagues and European trophies in white.
