In the end, it all became too much for him. Jude Bellingham paced around, rubbing his forehead and biting into a fluorescent green bib as his emotions got the better of him. Moments later, he was flat on the floor with a broken heart.
The dream of delivering the Bundesliga trophy to Borussia Dortmund had died before his eyes and there was nothing he could do to prevent it. We know football is the most beautiful sport, but on days like this, the brutality cuts you to the bone.
Dortmund, had played poorly against Mainz in the game they were expected to win and lost 2-1, but eight minutes later they had the trophy in their hands. Bayern Munich had slipped in the match they were expected to win against Cologne and this would be enough.
But then came the news that Jamal Musiala had leapt to Bayern and stabbed a dagger through Dortmund’s hearts at the same time. As much as Bellingham wanted to be there, but the truth is that Superman could have worn yellow and black and he couldn’t have saved this young team.
The calamity of a disastrous first 25 minutes, in which they conceded two cheap goals and missed a penalty, came home. What a shame that a great season has to end this way, what a miserable farewell this will be if it is to be Bellingham’s last dance before he goes to Real Madrid.
Borussia Dortmund relinquished the Bundesliga title after a draw with Mainz on the final day
Dortmund coach Edin Terzic looks dejected after Bayern Munich are confirmed champions
Jude Bellingham, who was an unused substitute for Dortmund, is consoled by manager Terzic
“Jude fought every day to get back into the team – it was a hard decision not to play against him,” said Dortmund head coach Edin Terzic. “It was too tight – hopefully he will recover as soon as possible. He didn’t feel well this morning, he didn’t feel well before the game.
“He told us he didn’t feel ready to start the game yet and if we needed him we could let him play for a few minutes. Of course he is very sad and emotional, just like the others. He is one of the main reasons why we are in the situation.
“But I’m pretty sure he’s a winner – and he’s going to win so many trophies in his career. To do that, he has to stay fit and healthy and recover as quickly as possible.’
It was too early, said Terzic, to say whether Bellingham – who has had ligaments on his right knee for several months – would be fit for England’s games against Malta and North Macedonia next month, but the question must be whether he actually joins Gareth Southgate’s team.
Bellingham has been through a lot over the last 12 months, mentally and physically, and he looked emotionally drained as he stood in front of Dortmund’s famous yellow wall at the end, clapping them, gesturing as if apologizing and then handing a fan his shirt as a keepsake.
The Mainz players celebrate after Andreas Hanche-Olsen took the lead through an early goal
Mainz doubled their lead in the 24th minute, with Karim Onisiwo (right) finding the net
Bayern have now won 11 titles in a row and you have to wonder when Dortmund will come this close to them again: they had moved mountains, having sold Erling Haaland and Manuel Akanji to Manchester City last summer, to even get into this position .
Without Bellingham – if that’s the case – how compelling will there be fighting back? Dortmund insist they have not received any approach for him, but it is inevitable that there will eventually be a bid of more than £100 million from Spain. But if so, he will still think about it.
Before kick-off, some outside the stadium behaved as if this was a foregone conclusion. They sang, they set off flares, they wore jerseys with the number nine on them and wore paper versions of the Bundesliga shield, ready, willing and able to celebrate.
When the smoke from the pre-match fireworks cleared, you hoped that Dortmund would be left with a clear mind, but in reality the tumult had left them confused. Mainz had nothing to ride on this fixture, but they were good enough to do maximum damage.
They took the lead with their first attack when Andreas Hanche-Olsen converted from a corner at the near post and you knew what an afternoon it would be – full of screams and gasps – when Sebastian Haller squandered an immediate chance to make amends, his feeble penalty, given after VAR intervention, was saved by Mainz keeper Finn Dahmen.
Raphael Guerreiro (right) managed to score a goal back for the hosts to end dramatically
Sebastien Haller also missed a penalty for Dortmund in the first half of the Bundesliga clash
If that was bad, the low point came in the 24th minute when Karim Onisiwo got up to meet a cross. His header was accurate, but goalkeeper Gregor Kobel will wonder if he could have done more to prevent the ball from spiraling out of his grasp and over the line.
With Munich ahead at Cologne through Leroy Sane, it took a miracle in the second half and while Dortmund improved and pulled one back through Raphael Guerreiro in the 68th minute, they were never convinced they had a grandstand finish in them .
The rescue seemed to be on the way, news of Cologne’s equalizer caused a fire of euphoria. But as soon as it looked like it was going to be an inferno, it fizzled out. Dortmund itself got the equalizer in stoppage time through Niklas Sule, but it was too little, too late.
Now the realization had set in: instead of being guests at a party, they had attended a vigil.