David Beckham delivers cheeky six-word verdict on Sunderland midfielder Jobe Bellingham

Footballing icon David Beckham has delivered a cheeky verdict on the notable physicality of Sunderland midfielder Jobe Bellingham.

The teenager has been in impressive form for the Black Cats so far this season, and one of the most obvious ways in which his game has developed in recent months is a marked progression in his strength and power in the middle of the park. But even before the new campaign got underway, Bellingham’s growth was picked up on - albeit by a fairly unexpected source.

During the latest episode of his brother Jude’s YouTube documentary series, Jobe is flown out to take part in a promotional shoot for EA Sports’ FC25 video game. Beckham is also present to be shot alongside the England midfielder as a cover star, and in a brief exchange with Bellingham’s mother, Denise, he points towards Jobe before asking in a disbelieving tone: “What are you feeding the boys?!”. Jobe and Jude are then filmed contesting a game of FC25, with the elder Bellingham suggesting that they should play “Real Madrid vs Sunderland”.

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In another clip from the show, Jude also speaks fondly of his little brother, saying: “Whenever my brother is around, I feel happy, I feel more confident, I feel like I've got my best mate there, to be fair.

“He's obviously got a couple more games [of the 2023/24 campaign] and after that he's going to come and stay with us until the end of my season. And honestly, I'm looking forward to that more than anything, anything in the world at the minute. I wouldn't say it to him, and I hope he can't hear me, but honestly can't wait to have my brother around me for a few months.”

Jobe has featured regularly in Jude’s documentary series, and in another recent episode, the Real Madrid talisman spoke of his desire to see his younger sibling judged on his own merits, rather than in comparison to his older brother. He said: “The worry is that people judge him based on my achievements. But I'm really conscious of that because I know it's something that people will always throw in his face, and it's not fair because he's an amazing talent, amazing player in his own right. People will use him as a way to have a dig at me and vice versa, so we're almost like each other's biggest fans but also the biggest target for each other because we care about each other so much.”