Mark Bellingham, father of England midfielder Jude Bellingham, has scored seven goals on his debut for the England over-50s veterans team.
The 50-year-old played in an attack against the Republic of Ireland last Saturday in Cambridgeshire.
He scored six goals in the first half and added a seventh, plus an assist, after the break. England won the match 13-1.
The game was Mark’s first appearance in an England shirt after his maiden call-up. He spent 17 years in non-professional football and played for 22 clubs, including Leamington and Bromsgrove Sporting. He also turned out for Cheltenham Town and Newport County in the late 1990s.
Mark retired from football in 2019 but kept playing in veterans’ tournaments before he chose to return to the pitch against Ireland.
The result capped a notable weekend for the Bellingham family. Jude scored his 50th goal for Real Madrid in a 3-0 win over Racing Santander. His younger brother Jobe delivered a standout performance for Borussia Dortmund in a 2-2 draw with Bayern Munich, according to the Mirror newspaper.
Analysts called it Jobe’s best display for Dortmund since he moved to Germany 15 months ago. He did not score, as the referee disallowed his effort for a foul by teammate Carney Chukwuemeka.
Jude and Jobe have both praised their father for supporting them in the early days of their careers in Birmingham, where Mark stayed with them at every stage of their rise.
