Real Madrid's English midfielder #05 Jude Bellingham fights for the ball with Alaves' Spanish midfielder #04 Denis Suarez during the Spanish league football match between Real Madrid CF and Deportivo Alaves at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid on April 21, 2026. (Photo by Pierre-Philippe MARCOU / AFP)
London: Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham said a debt of gratitude towards his home city of Birmingham was behind his decision to buy a minority stake in cricket franchise Birmingham Phoenix.
The England midfielder has taken a 1.2 per cent holding in the Edgbaston-based Hundred team at a reported cost of over £800,000 ($1 million).
The Phoenix franchise was valued at around £82million when Knighthead Capital acquired a 49 per cent stake last year during a sales process initiated by the England and Wales Cricket Board.
Bellingham, who was brought up in nearby Stourbridge and began his career at Birmingham City, is a big cricket fan and played for Hagley in Worcestershire as a junior.
"I love Birmingham. I'm very grateful for what the whole city of Birmingham has done for me," said the 22-year-old.
"I love cricket as well so when I got the opportunity to get involved I didn't really think twice about it, so I'm so happy to be on board.
"I got the best upbringing into football, into life through Birmingham City. I feel like I owe the city something."
Legendary NFL quarterback Tom Brady is also part of the Knighthead group that owns Birmingham City.
Stakes in the eight city-based franchises -- which all have men's and women's teams -- were sold last year to private investors, raising huge sums for cricket in England and Wales.
The 2026 edition of the Hundred starts on July 21 and runs for four weeks.
