World Cup winner Christoph Kramer has explained how he was left “broken” by an uncharacteristic shirt swap snub from England star Jude Bellingham.

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• Three Lions star spent three years in Germany
• Crossed paths with World Cup winner Kramer
• Left Gladbach midfielder feeling embarrassed

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  Their paths crossed in the Bundesliga, with Ballon d’Or contender Bellingham turning out for Borussia Dortmund at the time. Kramer, who formed part of the Germany squad that claimed a global crown in 2014, was on the books at Borussia Monchengladbach.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Bellingham is known for playing with a smile on his face, while kind-hearted gestures are often made by the 21-year-old midfielder on and off the pitch. He is a popular choice for post-game jersey trades, with his stock having been on the rise since making a senior breakthrough with Birmingham at 16 years of age.

• WHAT KRAMER SAID

  When competing in the German top-flight, Kramer had hoped to land himself a Bellingham memento. He was, however, left red-faced by an embarrassing snub. The 33-year-old midfielder has told the : "I asked, 'Can I have your jersey?' He heard it, he also looked at me briefly, then went straight ahead and patted me on the shoulder. So much honour and so much pride was broken in me."

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  WHAT NEXT?

  Bellingham is now on the books of Real Madrid, with his exploits there putting him in the running for a prestigious Golden Ball. He has been back to his best of late, netting in five successive games and seven of his last eight, with more shirt swap requests expected to come his way with club and country.

Tags: Futebol
Category: News