When Jamie Bynoe-Gittens first arrived in Germany, it was Jude Bellingham who offered him words of advice. Now, the two will face each other on the global stage.
Along with Jadon Sancho, Bellingham and Bynoe-Gittens formed an English trio abroad, with the younger Bynoe-Gittens looking to follow in his teammates’ footsteps at Borussia Dortmund. The German club has earned a reputation for nurturing some of Europe’s brightest talents, including Bellingham, Erling Haaland, and Sancho, who arrived young, developed into stars, and moved on to Europe’s elite clubs for substantial transfer fees.
Sancho’s role is especially significant. Though his time at Manchester United has been challenging—leading to a loan move to Chelsea—he played a crucial part in inspiring Dortmund’s latest English star. Like Sancho, Bynoe-Gittens left Manchester City as a promising teenager to carve out a career in the Bundesliga.
Both players shared an agent, so when Dortmund came calling in 2020, it wasn’t surprising that Bynoe-Gittens made the move. Despite having a promising future at City, where he had played for the Under-18 side, he was eager to follow Sancho’s path.
“When Sancho was at City, he was scoring every game for the Under-18s, so I wanted to be like him,” Bynoe-Gittens said.
At 16, he swapped the Etihad for Dortmund’s Westfalenstadion, and four years later, the decision has paid off. Bynoe-Gittens announced himself to the football world with a match-winning brace in Dortmund’s Champions League opener against Club Brugge, his second goal showcasing his skill with a flurry of stepovers and a clinical finish.
But his talent had been evident well before this season. Starting out at Reading, Bynoe-Gittens joined Manchester City’s academy at 14, where he was highly rated but ultimately spent just two years before moving to Germany. He reflected on his decision in 2023, explaining that watching other players take the same path inspired him. When he first arrived, he spent a lot of time with Sancho, often visiting his house, playing FIFA, and getting haircuts together.
The transition wasn’t easy. The COVID pandemic disrupted his first year in Germany, and he also had to adjust to living alone after spending 12 months in Dortmund’s youth housing. Injuries further delayed his progress, but by 2021, he was breaking into the first team. A standout moment came when he scored twice in a UEFA Youth League match against Manchester United, marking the start of his steady rise with the senior squad.
Bynoe-Gittens has also made strides with England’s youth teams, winning the European Under-19 Championship in 2022. Off the pitch, he embraced German culture, learning the language through two-hour daily lessons, five days a week. “I had to learn German quickly,” he recalled, noting how it pushed him to step outside his comfort zone and become more independent.
Now 20, Bynoe-Gittens has passed 60 appearances for Dortmund, including a cameo in the 2023 Champions League final. Though his side lost to Real Madrid, where Bellingham starred, his brief appearance hinted at bigger moments to come on the European stage.
Bellingham and Bynoe-Gittens had grown close during their time at Dortmund, with Bellingham acting as a mentor in the gym and match preparations. Now their paths cross again in the Champions League, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see Bynoe-Gittens emerge from his former teammate’s shadow.
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