History was made at the 2025 EFL Awards as Sunderland midfielder Jobe Bellingham scooped the award for Championship Young Player of the Year, sponsored by EA Sports, exactly five years on from his older brother Jude.

Jobe has been a key figure in Sunderland's push for promotion back to the Premier League and was also named in the Sky Bet Championship Team of the Season.

It's the first time in history that two brothers have picked up the same award, with Jude receiving the accolade in 2020 while playing for Birmingham City.

While his surname is synonomous across the world of football, Jobe has taken everything in his stride since moving to the Stadium of Light from boyhood Birmingham in 2023. 

At just 19 years of age the Stourbridge starlet has racked up over 100 games in the EFL and has developed a newfound level of consistency this season.

Happy to do the less glamorous parts of his role in the middle of the park, he is at the centre of everything for his fellow young teammates.

"It feels amazing, it's a testament to everyone at Sunderland. The past two years, not just this year, and I'm really pleased and really grateful," Jude confessed.

"We started the season really well as a team, and I got off to a good start too. I think I came back more powerful and really mature in my game. Playing a slightly different role in a much better system.

"We've stayed steady and kicked on at times and earned this position. There are so many different types of challenges as part of your development, and sometimes you fail, but you've got so much time to fix things and learn from your errors.

"I couldn't be more grateful to the EFL, not just for me but for my brother as well."

As for Jude, his metoric rise is well told story, coming through the Blues academy to make his professional debut for the West Midland based outfit in a Carabao Cup trip to Portsmouth in 2019.

At the age of 16 years and 38 days, he was the Club's youngest ever player and shone throughout the season, becoming a regular starter at St Andrews.

His breakout season didn’t go unnoticed and he picked up gongs for Championship Apprentice of the Year and EFL Young Player of the Season at the 2020 EFL Awards ceremony.

Unsurprisngly, his remarkable debut campaign attracted interest from some of Europe's top sides, and the midfielder eventually moved to German giants Borussia Dortmund, with Birmingham deciding to retire his number 22 due to the impact he'd made.

In the years since, he's become argubly England's hottest prospect, shining on the international stage and at Club level, lifitng the Champions League with Real Madrid in 2024.

Speaking after receiving his award at the time, he said: "What Birmingham City did for me, I can’t thank them enough, I’d thank them a million times because they’ve given me the platform to go on and achieve the things that I have.

"It’s not all about quality where us young players are concerned, it’s about having that fire in your belly, the hunger to stand out and change a game regardless of your age.

"It’s easy to be given your debut and then coast a little bit, but to go and make an impact like many young players have done is a credit to young players in this league, the clubs that they’re at and the league itself. 

"There are some fantastic opportunities within the EFL with the cup competitions especially, it gives youngsters like me a chance and a platform to shine, especially when we’re coming up against experienced first-team professionals."