&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham buys stake in The Hundred franchise Birmingham Phoenix, says 'grateful for the city'")
Real Madrid star man and former Birmingham City player, Jude Bellingham, has invested in The Hundred franchise Birmingham Phoenix as he showed affection for his hometown. The Hundred, England’s premier short-form cricket format, has been in the news for multiple reasons recently; however, the headlines belonged to Bellingham, who now owns a stake in the franchise. Speaking after buying a stake, Bellingham was full of gratitude for his hometown, from where he started his journey as a sportsman.
Bellingham pays tribute to Birmingham
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.
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"I got the best upbringing in football, in 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.
