'It's beautiful': Schoolboy's art sparks heart-warming reaction from English midfielder Jude Bellingham
An 11-year-old schoolboy’s terrific trading card design featuring Jude Bellingham’s iconic celebration has sparked a heart-warming reaction from the England midfielder himself.
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Archie, of Telford, beat out hundreds of entries from pupils nationwide to take the top spot in Topps’ ‘Build a Bellingham’ card design competition.
The young fan’s creative submission, which perfectly captures Bellingham’s blazing form, earned high praise from the England international, who said: “It’s beautiful. I love the colours, I love everything about it. Even the 99 overall!”
His eye-catching ‘Bellingham’s on Fire’ design will now be produced as a one-of-a-kind trading card.
Last year, Topps, the leading trading cards and collectibles brand, challenged school children from across the UK to design their own Jude Bellingham UEFA Club Competition (UCC) 24/25 trading card.
There were more than 2,000 submissions from schools in the UK and Ireland, but it was Archie’s design that ultimately claimed the top spot.
Featuring Bellingham’s globally recognised celebration amidst a background of majestic burning flames, the design won judges over for its creativity and bold visual impact.
Archie, the self-proclaimed Bellingham superfan, who replicates the England internationals’ celebration on the playground, said: “(Jude) was playing on fire so I decided to use flames as the design.
“I was very happy and super excited when my mum told me I had won. I couldn’t believe it was real.”
Having observed Bellingham’s rise to stardom from the nearby town of Stourbridge to the Bernabeu, Archie looks up to Jude as a major inspiration and dreams of replicating the Real Madrid star's journey.
Archie added: “I hope you like my design and you are pleased with it. I also want to tell him how amazing he is and I wish I could be like him when I’m older.”
Rebecca, Archie’s mum, said: “Archie smiled from ear to ear and thought I was joking when I told him he had won.
“Once I showed him, he started jumping about the bedroom. I couldn’t be prouder of him.”
Ian Foster, marketing and digital content director, added: “We were blown away by the creativity demonstrated by the young fans who took part in the competition.
"We’re thrilled to be bringing Archie’s vision to life as an official trading card and can’t wait to see fans adding it to their collections. Congratulations to Archie and a huge thank you to everyone who took part.”
