Jude Bellingham is widely regarded as one of the best footballers in the world, but as it turns out, he's not the only celebrity in his family. The Real Madrid footballer, who recently represented England in the 2026 World Cup, shared a close bond with his late grandfather, William "Bill" Bellingham.

A former soldier and schoolmaster at Southend High School for Boys, William made his TV debut after competing on the BBC's long-running quiz show, Mastermind. Appearing on the programme in 1987, Jude's grandfather listed his specialist subject as the history of Nigeria from 1900 to 1966, before scoring an impressive 15 points.

Just this week, the unearthed clip of William's Mastermind appearance resurfaced online. Sharing it on Instagram, University Challenge presenter Amol Rajan wrote: "My goodness, how have I only just seen this? William Bellingham, grandfather of Jude, appeared on Mastermind in 1987, and was quite phenomenal. So that's one partial explanation of where @judebelliingham_ gets his mega brains from. Much like his grandson, he maintains ridiculously high standards right until the last."

While William sadly passed away in November 2020, when Jude was just 17, the footballer continues to cherish the memories of his beloved grandfather, and often thinks of him when England's national anthem sounds in the stadiums.

"I think about my grandad, who passed away just before my England debut," Jude reflected (via The Telegraph). "He was so patriotic. He was an Englishman through and through. He could give you every fact about every war, every battle, every king and queen. I do think about him when that moment is coming."

William, who is the father of Jude's dad Mark, had an interesting and varied career. Before working at Southend High School for Boys, he served in the army in Berlin, taught in Singapore and worked for Guinness in Nigeria.