The Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) is now moving to save face, as they have once again been called out by the senior Reggae Girlz over a range of issues which they players say, have affected their preparation for the upcoming FIFA World Cup, in Australia and New Zealand.

The Girlz in a widely circulated letter first shared on social media by prolific striker and captain Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw, expressed “utmost disappointment” with the handling of their affairs by the JFF.

Among the areas of concerns outlined by the Girlz are subpar planning, transportation, accommodations, training conditions, compensation, communication, nutrition and accessibility to proper resources.

Despite sharing their concerns with the federation “on multiple occasions” the Girlz pointed out that the issues remain unresolved, and they believe the lack of interest by those in charge, threaten the integrity of women’s football in Jamaica.

The Reggae Girlz also say that their preparations for the July 20 to August 20 global showpiece have been impacted by what they say is the federation’s “extreme disorganization”.

“In recent months, due to extreme disorganization of camp logistics, we have missed several official FIFA friendly matches. This will undoubtedly impact our preparations for Australia,” they said.

“The Reggae Girlz consist of professional and collegiate footballers who are spread out across the world. To be left questioning whether a camp will even take place two or three days before the expected start is unprofessional and often prohibitive for some of our players,” the Girlz added.

The Girlz said that they hope “by using our platforms to express the reality of our situation, our efforts will be reciprocated.

“We hope there will be immediate and systematic change within our federation and those in charge of protecting the integrity of women’s football,” the letter ended.

Meanwhile, the governing football body in response, said they have noted the Reggae Girlz concerns and are taking them seriously.

“We acknowledge that things have not been done perfectly, and we are working assiduously to resolve them. We will continue to support the team in every way possible, so that they can be successful at the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand,” the JFF said.

A similar situation came to the fore in 2019 ahead of the Girlz World Cup debut appearance in France. Then, the Girlz main issues were the absence of a proper contract and salaries for players.

For all the experience that Rebecca Spencer possesses in what has been a fairly successful career, she has never been to a global tournament before, so this summer's FIFA Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, would be her crowning moment.

The England-born goalkeeper, who started her career in the youth system at Watford before moving to Arsenal, also spent time at Nottingham Forest and Gillingham on loan, after which she travelled to France where she had a stint with ASJ Soyaux.

Spencer later returned to England and had spells at Birmingham City, Chelsea and West Ham United, but later found the right fit with her current employers Tottenham Hotspurs. 

Along the way, she was capped by England at Under-19 and Under-20 levels and also received a call-up to the senior England squad in 2016.

However, in June 2021, Spencer, who qualifies to represent Jamaica through her grandparents, made her senior international debut with the senior Reggae Girlz and was instrumental in the team’s second-consecutive World Cup qualification, as she paraded her goalkeeping skills with much gusto, particularly, at the Concacaf Women’s Championship in Mexico.

At 32 years old, the vastly experienced Spencer has no qualms in admitting that she is at a ripe age in her career, especially in an era when bright young prospects are unearthed at an increasingly earlier age, which is why she is intent on making the most of this opportunity.

In fact, she is currently facing stiff competition from 23-year-old Sydney Schneider to decide who will be the Reggae Girlz number one shot-stopper at the showpiece, with 18-year-old Liya Brooks as their understudy.

The Lorne Donaldson-coached Girlz are currently engaged in a local camp after which the tactician and his assistant Xavier Gilbert will decide on the final 23-player squad for the July 20 to August 20 World Cup.

"Personally, I want to have the best competition of my life, obviously I'm 32, so I'm not getting any younger. But you know, nothing really phases me in any situation, I kind of have a lot of experience obviously playing in England so long, so I hope I can bring that experience to the World Cup and help the team," Spencer said.

"So, I am look forward to it and hopefully I can just do my Job and be there for the team and the rest of the team will put their best foot forward as well. Like coach said our team is probably the best we have ever had so I am really confident in what we can do when we get to the World Cup. We could surprise everyone that's there," she added.

Having joked about her age declaring that some days she is reflective, it is left to be seen if Spencer will push her career to possibly make another World Cup appearance in 2027, but until then she is living in the moment and, as such, is firmly focused on steadily building towards the upcoming tournament.

"Obviously it would be a very proud moment, but I haven't thought that far ahead as yet, we still have a lot more preparation time to go that I've not let that part of it sink in as yet," Spencer said.

"I'm just focusing on camp-to-camp and at the moment my mind is fully here not the World Cup as yet. I want to get this training week out of the way and obviously, if selected, when we get to Amsterdam, it's going to give a feel of how things are going to be when we get to Melbourne. Once we get to Amsterdam, then its go time for us," she reasoned.

Many may not be aware, but Spencer, like many before her, initially started out as a striker, before finding comfort in goalkeeping, a complex position that requires physicality, strong mentality, and a highly unique set of skills. 

While every good goalkeeper must be able to produce a range of different saves, there’s a lot more to it than just technical ability. Spencer would tell you that a top goalkeeper needs to be brave, an excellent communicator, focused, determined, and, more importantly, willing to endure the criticisms and disappointments that come with the job.

"Playing football at the highest level is challenging in every moment, there are plenty of ups and downs but it's also very rewarding because I measure success through personal growth. So yes, there are disappointments but if I set certain goals for each season or a tournament and I achieve them, that's certainly a success for me," she shared.

Finally, Spencer, who pointed out that if it wasn't football, she would have enjoyed working in health care, because she enjoys taking care of people in need, welcomed the initiative by FIFA which guarantees all players at the World Cup at least US$30,000 in prize money.

"Obviously it's excellent, it's a big incentive for players and we are going to be geared up to get out of the group stages which means it could be more, but for us as players, we don't normally think about that, we normally focus on the football, but FIFA has done a great thing by doing that," she ended.

Michael O’Neill has told his young Northern Ireland players to embrace the challenge of taking on Denmark in Copenhagen on Friday night.

O’Neill said this Euro 2024 qualifier was not only the hardest fixture on paper but the “hardest fixture full stop” as Northern Ireland travel to take on the top seeds in Group H at the always noisy Parken Stadium.

Jamal Lewis has been added to an already lengthy injury list which has robbed O’Neill of half a dozen of his most experienced players, and with Shane Ferguson also out there is a shortage of left-sided players.

O’Neill will try to get as much experience as he can into his starting 11, but there will be no option but to rely on younger players too, with Conor Bradley and Shea Charles among the contenders to start.

“This is a good game for us,” O’Neill said. “It’s a young squad, we’ve got seven under-21 players with us. We’ll rely heavily on our experienced players as well. It’s a game we can only gain from really.

“Obviously we were disappointed with the home game against Finland (a 1-0 defeat in March), we felt we deserved more than we got, so we’ve got to try and make up points somewhere along the line. This is a hard place to play, but we’ll go with the intention of trying to find something from the game.”

The 38,000-seater Parken Stadium can become an intimidating place for visiting teams, but while it might be unlike anything Northern Ireland’s younger players have experienced before, O’Neill does not want them to shy away.

“I think they should embrace it really more than anything else,” he said. “The message will be go out and enjoy playing in a stadium like this…

“The thing I’ve enjoyed in working with the younger players is I see their attitude to the game, it’s very positive, I don’t think they’ll have a fear.

“There’s a lot of self-belief and abilities in the likes of Shea Charles, Isaac Price, Conor Bradley, Trai Hume, they play in games where they’ve a lot of expectancy where they’re currently playing their football.

“I think we have to have that mindset that we’ve got everything to gain from Friday night and not fear the atmosphere but look forward to it.”

One key challenge for Northern Ireland will be limiting Manchester United midfielder Christian Eriksen’s ability to dictate play from the centre of pitch.

“We understand we are dealing with a top level player here,” O’Neill said. “It’s brilliant seeing him back playing international football.

“The days of man marking players is more difficult now but as a team we have made the midfield players in particular very aware of the Danish midfield and Christian Eriksen is the major player in that midfield. He is a hugely experienced player at international level.

“I think to deal with players at that level it’s more about what we do as a collective as opposed to possibly that designated player to deal with that situation.”

Both sides come into the game nursing disappointments from the last round of fixtures in March.

Denmark suffered a shock defeat to Kazakhstan, blowing a 2-0 lead as their unfancied hosts scored three in the last 20 minutes, while O’Neill’s first game back in charge at Windsor Park ended in that loss to Finland.

O’Neill insisted he was not interested in making any sort of statement by claiming a big scalp on Friday, but his mind is on making up for what he sees as lost points.

“It would give us six points and it would make up for the disappointment of Finland,” he said. “I don’t think it’s about sending out a statement. I think this group could be very tight. Results have demonstrated that.

“If you can take anything off the number one seed in the group it is a massive achievement.”

New recruit Sam Lammers admits he was impressed by Michael Beale’s vision for Rangers as he signed for the Ibrox club on a four-year deal.

The 26-year-old Dutch attacker has joined Gers from Serie A side Atalanta after spending the past season out on loan at Empoli and then Sampdoria.

Lammers explained how Beale’s willingness to travel to Italy to meet him helped persuade him to pledge his future to Rangers.

“I am really excited to join Rangers, my first impressions have all been good, so I am even more excited for the season to start now,” he told Rangers’ website.

“I came in contact with the manager and he came over to see me in Italy, we had a good talk and he gave me a presentation about the club and about how I could fit in, so ever since that moment I was excited for this project and to get here.

“I already knew some things about Rangers, I know the history, I know it is a massive club in Scotland and also worldwide, but it is always a good thing to have the personal side of it.”

Lammers began his career with PSV Eindhoven before leaving his homeland to move to Italy in 2020. He also spent time on loan at Eintracht Frankfurt in 2021/22 and was an unused substitute for the Bundesliga side when they defeated Rangers in the Europa League final a year ago.

Beale believes the Dutchman will slot perfectly into his new-look Rangers team.

“Sam is a player I have been aware of for a number of years,” he said. “I first knew him as a young player at PSV and have followed his career closely from afar and he excelled in Holland both in the Eredivisie and the under-21 national team.

“Sam will give us great technical and tactical quality, being able to play in a variety of attacking positions as a number 10 or nine.

“He was the first player I met with as part of the planning for the new season and, during our lengthy discussions, it was clear that we share the same ideas on football and on his personal development moving forward. He has a strong alignment to the other players in our squad.

“Having recently turned 26, he brings a wealth of experience, having already played in the top leagues in Holland, Germany and Italy. We are delighted he is joining us at Rangers and I’m looking forward to working closely with him.”

Lammers is Rangers’ fourth new signing of the close season.

“I am delighted with our progress so far in this summer transfer window,” said Beale. “We have worked extremely well to recruit Jack Butland, Dujon Sterling, Kieran Dowell and Sam Lammers. We are ahead of schedule in our plans.

“The coming weeks will see more trading both in and out of the squad as we prepare for the season ahead. We have key areas of focus and we are close to securing our targets in those positions.”

Republic of Ireland boss Stephen Kenny will hope to finally exorcise the ghost of Cristiano Ronaldo as he targets a priceless Euro 2024 qualifier victory in Greece.

Kenny will send his troops into Group B battle at the OPAP Arena on Friday evening desperate to open their account at the second time of asking after they lost 1-0 to France in Dublin in their opener.

He will do so still reflecting on the famous World Cup qualifier win over Portugal which was snatched from his grasp by Ronaldo’s late double in September 2021, and game in which Ireland led through John Egan’s header with just a minute of normal time left on the clock.

Asked if he was encouraged by the fact that some of his team’s better performances had come away from home, Kenny replied: “You can’t look back.

“Of course we have analysed all the performances and the obvious one is the game in Portugal, of course, which we lost late.

“We have learned so much about the team over the last year and you can see the team improving, but this is a stern test.

“Greece are a really good team, they are at home, and it will be a brilliant atmosphere, I’m sure, and it is one that we want the players to rise to and put in a big performance.”

Kenny and his players arrived in Athens after using a nine-day training camp on Antalya, Turkey to acclimatise to the heat and humidity they expect to face at the home of AEK Athens.

Greece boss Gus Poyet has billed the game as must-win for both nations with the Netherlands as well as France – minnows Gibraltar complete the group – also vying for qualification, but Kenny is taking a more pragmatic view.

He said: “We are looking for that historic away win, that’s our objective, that’s what we want.

“Greece have a very good home record, they have been in good form over the past year – we respect that.

“Nothing will be easy, we will have to fight for everything and it’s only the second game of the group, so I don’t think anything is decided so early, but it is certainly going to be an important game for both teams.”

It could be a particularly big night for Ireland’s 18-year-old striker Evan Ferguson, who would dearly love to wrap up a memorable season, during which he has burst on to the Premier League scene at Brighton, made his senior international debut and scored his first Ireland goal.

Asked if the challenge to the teenager was to finish the campaign in style with a telling contribution in Athens, Kenny said: “Evan has emerged quicker than we could have anticipated. He’s done brilliantly for Brighton in the Premier League. We’re delighted to have him.

“He’s trained really well this week. Such a young player, you wouldn’t want to put too much on his shoulders because we’ve got five good young forwards in the squad.

“But he has got terrific ability and we’d love to see that emerge over the next week.”

Stephen Kenny’s Republic of Ireland go head-to-head with Greece in Athens on Friday evening in a fixture which could prove key to the Euro 2024 qualification hopes of both nations.

Ireland narrowly lost their opening Group B fixture to beaten World Cup finalists France in March three days after the Greeks cruised to a 3-0 win over minnows Gibraltar, and victory at the OPAP Arena could prove vital for either side.

Here, the PA news agency takes a look at Greece and the threat they may pose.

Form

Greece headed into the campaign on a high after topping Nations League Group C2 with 15 points from a possible 18. They beat Northern Ireland and Kosovo home and away and Cyprus in Volos before the Cypriots gained revenge in Larnaca, and finished six points better off than the Kosovans in second place to secure a place in the Euro 2024 play-offs. They have won only one of the four games they have played since – their opening qualifier against Gibraltar – drawing friendlies with Malta and Lithuania either side of a 2-1 defeat in Hungary.

Manager

Gus Poyet was appointed as national team boss in February 2022 having earlier had a seven-month spell in charge at club side AEK Athens. The 55-year-old Uruguayan established himself as a household name during his playing days as a goalscoring midfielder, principally with River Plate, Real Zaragoza, Chelsea and Tottenham, before making the move into management with Brighton and Sunderland, who he guided to Premier League safety and the Capital One Cup final in 2014, AEK, Real Betis, Shanghai Shenhua, Bordeaux and Universidad Catolica in Chile.

Players

Poyet’s squad includes several familiar names with Liverpool defender Kostas Tsimikas and John Egan’s Sheffield United team-mate George Baldock – who qualifies for Greece through his grandmother – among its ranks. Free-scoring former Celtic striker Giorgos Giakoumakis, now at Atlanta United, is also at Poyet’s disposal, but it is perhaps Trabzonspor midfielder Tasos Bakasetas upon whom Ireland will need to keep a close eye. Six of Bakasetas’ 18 goals to date this season have come on the international stage, four of them in competitive games.

Pedigree

Greece are currently ranked 52nd by FIFA, three places below the Republic, but have appeared as high as eighth in the list. They famously won the Euros in 2004, when they shocked the continent’s super-powers under German Otto Rehhagel, and made it to the quarter-finals at Euro 2012. They have qualified for the World Cup finals on three occasions – 1994, 2010 and 2014 – and reached the last 16 in Brazil.

Captain Keith Watson has departed Ross County after five years with the Dingwall club.

The 33-year-old former Dundee United defender joined the Staggies in 2018 and made more than 100 appearances.

County described Watson as “a great servant to the club” as they announced on Thursday that he will be moving on this summer following the expiry of his contract.

“Unfortunately, my time at County has come to an end, what a 5 years it’s been,” Watson said in a statement on the club’s website.

“From winning the Championship to a dramatic play off win to stay in the Premiership – where County belong.

“That last play-off game (against Partick Thistle earlier this month) was one of the craziest games I’ve ever played in and the belief and never say die attitude from the lads was incredible, it was a pleasure playing along side you all.

“A big thank you to the fans and everyone at the club for the past 5 years and I wish Ross County nothing but success in the future.”

Austrian midfielder David Cancola and English striker Dominic Samuel – both of whom joined County two years ago – have also left the Highland club.

Tottenham have confirmed the departures of Clement Lenglet and Arnaut Danjuma following the conclusion of their loan spells.

France defender Lenglet joined Spurs last summer from Barcelona and made 35 appearances in all competitions, scoring once.

Netherlands forward Danjuma arrived in January from Villarreal but was restricted to just one start in a total of 12 outings.

As previously announced by the Premier League club, Lucas Moura will also depart this summer at the end of his contract.

The Brazilian forward scored 39 goals in 221 Tottenham appearances, including a hat-trick against Ajax which secured a place in the 2019 Champions League final.

“We thank all three players for their service and wish them well for the future,” read a statement on Spurs’ website.

Fulham defender Joe Bryan is one of 10 out-of-contract players set to leave the Premier League club at the end of the month after they announced their retained list on Thursday.

The west-London club published their released and retained list ahead of the 2023/24 season which will see Bryan, Shane Duffy, Paulo Gazzaniga, Steven Sessegnon, Thorsteinn Antonsson, Sonny Hilton, Ziyad Larkeche, Jonathon Page, Murphy Parker and Jean-Pierre Tiehi leave Craven Cottage.

Bryan – who spent the last campaign on loan at Ligue 1 Nice – will leave the club after making 117 appearances which included two promotion campaigns.

Meanwhile, Gazzaniga, who began 2021/22 as Marco Silva’s first-choice goalkeeper, has since impressed following a loan spell at Girona and made the move to Spain permanent last week.

Fulham added that Neeskens Kebano, Willian, Luciano D’Auria-Henry, Stefan Parkes, Devan Tanton had all been offered new deals, while Ibane Bowat, Martial Godo and Jay Williams have had their one-year extension options triggered.

A statement on the club website read: “We would like to thank all of these players and the Academy boys, for their efforts during their time at the club and wish them the very best of luck during their respective next chapters.”

The final squad list for the St. Kitts and Nevis Senior Men’s National Team for the Concacaf Gold Cup prelims has been released today by the SKNFA on the eve the Sugar Boyz crucial encounter versus Curacao.

The team comprises: Goalkeepers: Julani Archibald, Jamal Jeffers, Xander Parke, Defenders: Andre Burley, Raheem Hanley, Ezrick Nicholls, Malique Roberts, Gerard Williams, Jameel Ible, Dijhron Simmonds, Midfielders: Romaine Sawyers, Yohannes Mitchum, Mervin Lewis, Raheem Somersall, Tyquan Terrell, Ronaldo Belgrove, Forwards: Tiquanny Williams, Carlos Bertie, Rowan Liburd, Jacob Hazel, Omari Sterling-James

In new developments that will have some impact for St. Kitts and Nevis, Concacaf confirmed the expulsion of Nicaragua from the Gold Cup and that Trinidad and Tobago will replace them in Group A of the competition.

Nicaragua was found to have used an ineligible player in several matches, thus leading to their expulsion.

That means, should St. Kitts and Nevis qualify for the Gold Cup, they will face the USA, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago in Group A of the competition.

For the Sugar Boyz to qualify for the Gold Cup, they will need to defeat Curacao on Friday night and the winner of French Guiana and Dutch St. Maarten.

The match against Curacao will be at 9pm at the DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale.

Long-serving striker Chris Kane has extended his stay with St Johnstone by another year after agreeing a new deal for the upcoming season.

The 28-year-old forward has played more than 200 games for Saints since making his debut for the Perth club in November 2013.

There was some doubt about his future after he made only two appearances in the season just finished following a 16-month injury lay-off.

But recently-installed manager Steven MacLean has offered Kane the chance to remain with the club at which he has spent his entire career bar a couple of loan stints at Queen of the South and Dumbarton.

“I’m delighted to sign the extension and stay at the club I have been at since I was 15,” he told the Saints website.

“I look forward to getting back for pre-season soon and proving my fitness.”

Barry Robson was delighted to secure “brilliant prospect” Leighton Clarkson on a permanent contract after Aberdeen signed the highly-regarded midfielder from Liverpool for an undisclosed fee.

The 21-year-old has joined the cinch Premiership club on a four-year contract just weeks after his fruitful season on loan at Pittodrie came to an end.

Clarkson, who had one year left on his Anfield deal, scored six goals and provided nine assists in 38 appearances in the campaign just ended to help the Dons finish third.

Given his impact last term, there was some doubt about whether Aberdeen would be capable of landing the Englishman for the longer term.

But the financial reward coming their way as a result of securing European group-stage football next term has helped give them the leverage to strike a deal that suits both Liverpool and the former England Under-20 international, sparking a wave of excitement among the Dons’ fanbase.

“There is no doubt Leighton had a positive impact during his time with us last season and its hugely encouraging that he has now chosen this club as his home and the best place for his continued development,” manager Robson told the Aberdeen website.

“He is a brilliant prospect and exactly the type of player we want here at the club. He’s young, hungry and technically very good.

“He was much admired for the creativity he brought on the pitch and showed a real affinity with the supporters during his time at Pittodrie last season.

“We are shaping the squad up for playing both in Europe and domestically and will be looking to announce more new faces in the very near future.”

Clarkson is the Dons’ second arrival of the summer following the capture of Nicky Devlin from Livingston.

Jude Bellingham has revealed he took the number five shirt upon joining Real Madrid as he is inspired by Zinedine Zidane.

The England midfielder completed his initial 103million euros (£88.5m) move to Real on Thursday afternoon, signing a six-year deal after leaving Borussia Dortmund.

Bellingham spoke of it being the “proudest day” of his life as he addressed the media having taken the number five jersey at the Bernabeu.

He later explained his reasoning behind asking Jesus Vallejo to give up the number for him – citing Zidane, who won 16 major honours as a player and manager at Real – as an inspiration.

“I really admire Zidane and the legacy he has at this club with the number five,” Bellingham said.

“It’s a number that inspires me. I’ve worn 22 for a long time and in my heart I’ll continue to wear 22. I’m delighted to wear the number five.”

Bellingham was recently named Bundesliga player of the season after his starring role for Dortmund, who missed out on the title in agonising fashion on the final day of the campaign.

Upon his move to Dortmund, boyhood club Birmingham took the unexpected step to retire Bellingham’s number 22 jersey at St Andrews.

He went on to score 24 goals in 132 appearances in Germany, winning the DFB Pokal in 2021.

Now though, he believes he has joined the best club in the world and insists money was of no consequence to his decision having previously been heavily linked with a return to England at either Manchester City or Liverpool.

“Real Madrid is the greatest club in history and there aren’t many players who get to play for such a magnificent and historic club. I’m very grateful to those who brought me here,” he added.

“I don’t think about money when I make these kinds of decisions. It’s not important to me.

“It’s the sport I love and I love the feeling at Real Madrid and how I feel about the club.

“For me Real Madrid is the greatest club and I wanted everything to happen quickly. It doesn’t mean that the other teams are bad, but that Real Madrid is the greatest.”

With his parents watching on, Bellingham said: “Thank you for everyone for joining me on the proudest day of my life. The day where I joined the greatest football club in the history of the game.

“There are a lot of people to thank for getting me to this point – Borussia Dortmund and Birmingham City, the people that worked there.

“Also the bosses here (at Real Madrid); Mr President (Florentino Perez), Juni Calafat (scout), Jose Angel (chief executive).”

Perez, who later presented Bellingham with his new shirt, welcomed the teenager to Madrid.

“He decided to join Real Madrid, the most prestigious team in the world,” Perez said at the unveiling.

“That is why we welcome today – at Real Madrid – Jude Bellingham. The day has arrived, the day you always dreamt of, we would like to thank you because you gave everything you have to be here.

“Thank you for your ambition – this is the most loved club and from today you will get all the values that represent Real Madrid.

“I’m sure you fell in love by watching how Real Madrid got five Champions Leagues in the last nine years, some unforgettable moments…Jude, Santiago Bernabeu is waiting for you.

“You will feel the history of this club, all the Madristas gather around this feeling that we will always help you out and do absolutely everything to win every single title.”

Aberdeen are on the verge of signing Liverpool midfielder Leighton Clarkson on a permanent contract.

The 21-year-old impressed on loan at the Dons last season, being named young player of the year, and was one of manager Barry Robson’s summer signing priorities.

The PA news agency understands a fee has now been agreed between the two clubs.

Clarkson, who had one year left on his Anfield deal, scored six goals and provided nine assists in 38 appearances as the Dons secured third place in the cinch Premiership and Europa League football.

He would be the second arrival of the summer following the capture of Nicky Devlin from Livingston.

Jude Bellingham hailed the “proudest day” of his life as he spoke for the first time as a Real Madrid player.

Real announced the signing of the 19-year-old England international on Wednesday and he was unveiled in the Spanish capital on Thursday afternoon after signing a six-year deal.

The LaLiga giants paid an initial 103million euros (£88.5m) to land Bellingham, who moved to Germany from boyhood club Birmingham in 2020.

He had been linked with a return to England with the likes of Manchester City or Liverpool but ultimately decided to join the record 14-time European Cup winners.

With his parents watching on, Bellingham said: “Thank you for everyone for joining me on the proudest day of my life.

“The day where I joined the greatest football club in the history of the game. There are a lot of people to thank for getting me to this point – Borussia Dortmund and Birmingham City, the people that worked there.

“Also the bosses here (at Real Madrid); Mr President (Florentino Perez), Juni Calafat (scout), Jose Angel (chief executive).

“Of course, most importantly, my family for all of the support and making the deal as easy as possible, so thank you very much and finally, Hala Madrid.”

Bellingham was recently named Bundesliga player of the season after his starring role for Dortmund, who missed out on the title in agonising fashion on the final day of the campaign.

Upon his move to Dortmund, Birmingham made the unexpected step to retire his number 22 jersey at St Andrews.

Bellingham went on to score 24 goals in 132 appearances in Germany, winning the DFB Pokal in 2021.

He scored his first England goal in their World Cup win over Iran but is absent from the squad to face Malta and North Macedonia in the upcoming Euro 2024 qualifiers due to injury.

Perez, who later presented Bellingham with his new Real Madrid kit – with the midfielder wearing the number five shirt – welcomed the teenager to Madrid.

“He decided to join Real Madrid, the most prestigious team in the world,” Perez said at the unveiling.

“That is why we welcome today – at Real Madrid – Jude Bellingham.

“The day has arrived, the day you always dreamt of, we would like to thank you because you gave everything you have to be here.

“Thank you for your ambition – this is the most loved club and from today you will get all the values that represent Real Madrid.

“I’m sure you fell in love by watching how Real Madrid got five Champions Leagues in the last nine years, some unforgettable moments…Jude, Santiango Bernabeu is waiting for you.

“You will feel the history of this club, all the Madristas gather around this feeling that we will always help you out and do absolutely everything to win every single title.”

Bellingham is certainly ready to start challenging for major honours in Spain. He has long dreamt of a move to the 14-time European champions and recently told the PA news agency that he sees the Champions League as “the biggest stage”.

“The goal has always been winning,” he said.

“When you ask me what my biggest ambitions are in the game, it’s to win everything. And I’m not afraid to say that.

“You know, everyone should have that goal, I feel like, as professional footballers.”