Jude Bellingham cannot drive the BMW XM supplied through Real Madrid’s arrangement with BMW. In an interview for Calvin Klein, the midfielder said he had not obtained a full driving licence after attempts to learn in Germany and Spain. He has said he holds only a provisional licence.
Bellingham recalled expecting to pass within a few months when he first considered learning at about 17, before his move from English football to Borussia Dortmund in Germany interrupted that plan. He said he struggled to read the German road signs, then had an unsuccessful practical lesson in Spain. The Spanish episode was a lesson, rather than a reported official driving-test failure.
The problem has a practical consequence: Bellingham depends on family and friends for lifts. He has also travelled to Real Madrid’s Valdebebas training ground by taxi, according to the supplied account. His comments describe a personal difficulty with driving, not a licence suspension or road-safety offence.
He described himself as capable in football but less confident at everyday tasks such as cooking and driving. The Sun reported that Real Madrid players received access to hybrid BMW XM vehicles through the club’s partnership with BMW, and put the vehicle associated with Bellingham at about £155,000. Football’s connection with vehicle deals has also featured in this report on federation SUVs; in Bellingham’s case, receiving a car has not meant being able to take the wheel.
He said he might learn at another point, while acknowledging that he had neglected some basic skills amid his daily work in football. The report on his comments said he had not ruled out obtaining a full licence in the future.
