Jude Bellingham ‘planning billionaire empire and knighthood’ after 2026 FIFA World Cup
Jude Bellingham and the England team may have lost out on 2026 World Cup glory – but the Real Madrid star stands to build far more lucrative prizes following his time on the pitch
Jude Bellingham has grand plans to build a billion pound brand(Image: (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images))
Jude Bellingham plans to build up a billion-pound business empire – and even bag a knighthood – off the back of his World Cup success. Although the 23-year-old football star suffered the heartbreak of being kicked out of the 2026 Fifa contest when England lost against Argentina in the semi-finals, he has arguably become one of the big winners of the World Cup – snagging millions of new fans and becoming a bankable new star.
Jude – who hails from Birmingham and currently plays for Real Madrid – left fans swooning as well as cheering as he scored an impressive six goals over the course of the tournament. The handsome star already landed lucrative endorsement deals with brands including Skims underwear and Lucozade long before the World Cup kicked off – and now stands to land even more deals thanks to his athletic antics on the pitch.
With his profile skyrocketing, it is reported that Jude hopes to build a brand that could rival that of Sir David Beckham, who also saw his star power skyrocket while in his 20s, despite failing to win multiple World Cups. And it seems Becks has a career path that Jude hopes to emulate – knighthood and all.
The Real Madrid player is said to be modelling his future success on that of David Beckham(Image: The FA via Getty Images)
A source told the Daily Mail: “It’s all been very hush-hush. But Jude knows his worth and what he can earn. The levels of hysteria over him can only be matched by David Beckham when he was in his early 20s.”
The source continued: “Jude is very, very marketable and those around him know he can be a billionaire, and even a ‘Sir’, and that plan has just begun.” The Daily Mail’s report went on to suggest that Jude has boosted the team at Bello&Bello Ltd – the company that helps the England star monetise his image rights.
Run by Jude, his mother Denise, father Mark and fellow footballer brother Jobe, Bello&Bello has reportedly expanded to include legal expert Oliver Hunt, a founding partner of Onside Law, financial advisor Simon Morris, and former Football Association players, led by Lewis Maddison, to help solidify the power of the limited company.
Jude has made millions thanks to endorsement deals with brands including Skims
Jude is dating American content creator Ashlyn Castro(Image: PA)
The Daily Mail source claims: “Jude has a very carefully orchestrated plan in place. His parents have been so controlling of his career, but the decision was made that if he wants to grow bigger and become the next Beckham, he needs to put the infrastructure in place.” The source goes on to state the team are working to build Jude’s brand to become “Billionaire Bellingham”. The Mirror has contacted Bello&Bello for comment.
Jude was a stand out player during the 2026 World Cup, scoring goals for his national team and winning fans for his sporting prowess and good looks in equal measure. Some fans may be disappointed to learn, however, that he is far from single.
The sportsman has been in a relationship with American influencer Ashlyn Castro, 28, since 2025 – with some reports suggesting they matched on elitist dating app Raya in 2024. Football fans have spotted Ashlyn watching Jude from the stands during the world cup – however the social media star has been targeted by cruel online trolls over her romance.
Opening up about the impact online abuse has had on her, she told followers on TikTok: “I feel quite uneasy discussing my private life on camera. Please be patient with me as I’ve hardly done this before. I’ve encountered constant disrespect, abuse, and criticism from all sides. It’s been too much.”
She continued: “Let’s talk about this dating history. I’ve had three boyfriends over the last eight years. In 2017, I was in my very first relationship and he’s a public figure, so because of that, I’ve dealt with people talking about me, making up things about me.
“There was nothing on the internet about me prior, so people kind of just made up a bunch of things to justify hating me because of who I was dating at the time. And then over the last six years after that, I’ve dated two people. So three relationships in total.”
And she added: “I’m like shaking because I’m not ready to talk about this on the internet. This is extremely personal. This is my real life. I shouldn’t have to talk about this. But moving forward I will talk about things that are important such as mental health. This is something that I wanted to use my platform for but I just wasn’t ready.”
