Phil Smith: Jobe Bellingham showed what Sunderland meant to him - he'll leave with a legion of fans

This time a year ago, Jobe Bellingham had a big decision to make.

From a development perspective, his first season at Sunderland had been a major success. He had played 47 games and gained experience in a variety of different positions. A turbulent season for the club had no doubt offered many lessons in how to manage the highs and lows of a long campaign in professional football. Bellingham had held his own, and Premier League interest was there as a result.

It tells you much about Bellingham that this wasn't how he saw it. Sunderland's eventual 16th-placed finish, and the way the campaign had unravelled, rankled. Bellingham vowed to stay, and to be in best position possible to put it right.

As Bellingham prepares to sign a long-term deal at Borussia Dortmund, it could be tempting to see the move as a reflection of football's often cold and calculated side. Sunderland as a vehicle for a player's development, accepting their place in the in the pecking order so that they can bank a profit and restart the cycle. It tells you much, then, that Bellingham is departing not just with the good wishes of the club's support but with an overwhelming sense of pride. It isn't just because Sunderland's campaign ended with promotion, either. It's because from day one, Bellingham respected that he was just one small part of the story of one of the country's biggest and most historic clubs. Bellingham played first and foremost for the badge, and embodied the young team of which he had clearly emerged as a leader on and off the pitch. It was a team with plenty of ability and talent but a humility to suffer out of possession when required, and which ignored all the noise and transfer speculation to focus on putting the club back where it belonged.

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From day one, everyone understood that Bellingham's time at the club would likely be relatively brief. Sunderland gave Bellingham the opportunity for a fresh start and to begin writing his own story in the game, at a club where the inevitable comparisons with his older brother might be a little bit less frequent and where Bellingham would be judged on his own performances. The Bellingham's also quite clearly picked Sunderland because it was a club offering a clear pathway to the team, and because relationships with many senior staff were already strong. Sunderland knew they were signing a top talent, and that the end result would almost certainly be a huge transfer profit.

Sunderland, though, has a habit of getting under your skin. And it was no different for Bellingham, who talked of witnessing the feverish atmosphere on his first trip to the Stadium of Light as the moment he truly knew he would sign for the club. Sunderland beat Luton Town 2-1 in the first leg of the play-off semi final that night, but were beaten days later at Kenilworth Road. Bellingham is ambitious but it quickly became clear he is also something a footballing romantic, driven not just by personal goals but by the determination to be part of the team that completed Sunderland's journey back from the footballing wilderness. When he sang his initiation song in pre-season, he picked Can’t Help Falling in Love, already relishing the prospect of hearing it while on the pitch wearing red and white. On Wearside that night he had seen the opportunity to be part of something special and two years later, he played a central role in making it a reality.

Towards the end of his first season at the club, Bellingham was asked about his preferred position and deadpanned that he wasn't bothered (this may not have been the exact phrase used) as long as he was wearing a Sunderland shirt. One of the defining images of his time at the club will inevitably be the crunching tackle to protect Sunderland's lead at Coventry City last month, one he celebrated like a last-minute long range winner. It was those kinds of moments that showed it wasn't just words. Bellingham fought for Sunderland and while he's leaving sooner than anyone would have ideally liked, he's leaving on just about the best possible terms. The job isn't finished for Sunderland, but Bellingham has played a big part in setting them on the right track.

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