Jude Jacob Soonsup-Bell is an English footballer who plays as a striker for Premier League club Chelsea.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Jude Jacob Soonsup-Bell[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (2004-01-10) 10 January 2004 (age 18) | ||
| Place of birth | Chippenham, England[2] | ||
| Height | 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)[3] | ||
| Position(s) | Striker | ||
| Club information | |||
Current team | Chelsea | ||
| Number | 61 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Calne | |||
| Swindon Town | |||
| 2016–2021 | Chelsea | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2021– | Chelsea | 0 | (0) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2019 | England U15 | 4 | (1) |
| 2019–2020 | England U16 | 7 | (6) |
| 2021 | England U18 | 5 | (2) |
| 2021– | England U19 | 2 | (1) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 20:04, 22 December 2021 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 18:13, 13 June 2022 (UTC) | |||
Born in Chippenham, Soonsup-Bell started his career at local side FC Calne, before joining Swindon Town.[4][5] He moved to Chelsea at under-13 level.[6]
In an interview Jude recalls “always being in love with the sport”. He grew up idolising Portuguese legend Cristiano Ronaldo, and states him as an influence on his style of play.[5]
Jude’s surname, Soonsup (ซุ่นทรัพย์), comes from his maternal grandfather, who is Thai. His maternal grandmother is of English and Welsh descent. His Father, Michael Bell, is of English and Irish descent.
Initially a midfielder, Soonsup-Bell was converted into a forward in the Chelsea academy.[6] This change was beneficial for both Chelsea and Soonsup-Bell, as he progressed into a prolific striker, notably scoring four goals in an 8–1 FA Youth Cup win over Barnsley - the first Chelsea player to score four goals in this competition since Roger Bill in 1961.[7]
At the age of 16, he was playing regularly for Chelsea's under-23 squad, and is seen as one of Chelsea's best young players.[8][9][10] He signed his first professional contract in January 2021, having trained with the first team in preparation for their FA Cup third round tie with Morecambe.[5][11]
Soonsup-Bell made his Chelsea debut on 22 December 2021 in the quarterfinals of the EFL Cup, starting in a 2–0 win against Brentford.[12]
Eligible to represent both England and Thailand, Soonsup-Bell has played for England at under-15, under-16, under-18 and under-19 level.[2][5] He is the second highest goal-scorer for the England U16s, behind Jadon Sancho, with six goals in seven appearances.[7]
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | EFL Cup | Europe | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Chelsea U21 | 2021–22 | — | — | — | — | 2[lower-alpha 1] | 0 | 2 | 0 | |||||
| Chelsea | 2021–22 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Career total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | ||