- Brown agrees Belligham brothers can feature for Madrid
- Ex-defender stresses Jobe has to prove himself first
- Says youngster must match older sibling’s level
Jobe and Jude have had a similar football journey in terms of their moves. Coming from Stourbridge, both brothers spent their early years at Birmingham City. After Jude moved to Borussia Dortmund and on to Real Madrid, Jobe spent two years with Sunderland and helped secure promotion to the Premier League. He then opted to follow in his brother’s path by heading to Dortmund this summer, with big things expected of the 19-year-old.
There have been many instances in football when the careers of two brothers have intersected—Kolo and Yaya Toure at Manchester City, Gary and Phil Neville at Manchester United, and Frank and Ronald de Boer who played alongside each other on several teams. A similar instance might be awaiting Jobe, to cross paths with his brother at Madrid, but former United and England defender Brown claims that for that to happen, the 19-year-old will have to work hard and match his brother Jude’s level.
Brown said to Fruity King: “He could [play alongside Jude at Real Madrid]. It’s happened before, brothers playing in the same team. I don’t think it’s something you think about (at the moment), but if Jobe can get to that sort of level, I’m sure Real Madrid will look at him in the future at some point. But I think the first thing is to see if he can establish himself at Dortmund.”
Jobe joined Dortmund this summer in a deal reportedly worth €37m (£32m/$43m). The midfielder was included in the first team and played a major role for Dortmund in their Club World Cup campaign, registering a goal and an assist in the competition. He will likely make his Bundesliga debut against St Pauli on August 23.
