Faith written in their eyes, ‘Hey Jude’ on their lips, they serenaded him. Jude Bellingham responded by blowing a kiss to the travelling English fans. Azteca conquered, the weight of 1998 and 2006 lifted, England were alive and central to it all was Bellingham. “I hope that a win like this can give them that same conviction that they’re top players and we shouldn’t fear anyone,” he said.
“The round of 16 is a moment in the tournament when you find a way to win,” said Thomas Tuchel. A player short, England have and the head coach will hope the squad does what Bellingham is asking them to. Believe. For, if Norway are to be defeated in Miami, if England are to make it beyond the semi-final, it is imperative they do that. Even when it feels like 38 degrees Centigrade which it could on Saturday.
Dealing defensively with second balls has been a problem and the right-back situation is comparable to the curse of the metatarsal of 2002 but England will need to believe that Erling Haaland can be contained (Bellingham’s Real Madrid have done that). That it is possible to prevent Martin Odegaard from influencing the quarter-final and stop Andreas Schjelderup and Oskar Bobb, or Antonio Nusa and Alexander Sorloth, from firing crosses to the Norway frontman who rarely misses.
No.10 and more
England have a roster rich in talent and depth. And they have Bellingham. If England are stodgy – they were against Panama – hey Jude, can you do make it better? He did with a goal and an assist. Bellingham realised that with the wide players not cutting in the space behind Harry Kane, he would have to do it himself. And so he did. When he needed to dribble, he did that too. 2-0 England. It does seem odd that not too long ago, Tuchel wasn’t sure whether Bellingham would start as No. 10.
Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer, Micah Richards and Brad Friedel have seen and played enough but in The Rest Is Football episode they were discussing Bellingham after the Mexico game, the pundits couldn’t find the right adjectives. So, they settled for “monster” and “beast” to describe a player who scored like a No.9, played No.10 and No.8, denied Cesar Montes like he was a central defender and covered every bit of the pitch at Mexico City bar a sliver near a corner-flag.
In that match, Bellingham had two goals, three shots on goal, eight successful dribbles, won 10 duels, plugged gaps in midfield and was often the player Jordan Pickford sought out when England decided to go long. Does it surprise anyone that he wants to play James Bond once he’s done with football?
There’s a story behind Bellingham choosing the No. 22 shirt at Birmingham City and it bears telling here. It was because he didn’t want to play a No.4, or a No.8 or a No. 10, he wanted to be all of them.
With honourable exceptions like Glenn Hoddle, Paul Gascoigne, Paul Scholes, Bryan Robson, Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard, England midfielders over the past four decades have tended to more solid than spectacular. Bellingham can be like all of the above. And then some. “I know what I can offer to the team,” he said.
Team player
In 53 matches, Bellingham has 10 goals for England. It is not a lot but one of them was from his first scissors-kick and it kept England in the last Euro when all seemed lost. Another broke the deadlock against Panama and two came against Mexico who had never lost a World Cup game at Azteca and only two of their last 89 before the round-of-16 tie.
It could also seem odd that Bellingham had only three assists for Kane in 1154 minutes of playing together at major tournaments before this World Cup. But then, France won a World Cup and played the final of another with Zinedine Zidane assisting Thierry Henry once. These things happen but definitely not because Bellingham isn’t a team player.
From Birmingham City through Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid and England, he has always been that. He has helped Haaland score at Dortmund, impressed on debut at Real by winning duels and his runs fetched England goals from Kane and Jordan Henderson against Senegal in 2022. But it would be good if the debate ends in a World Cup that has seen Cristiano Ronaldo let Nuno Mendes take a free-kick and Kylian Mbappe try to get Michael Olise to score.
In 2022, Bellingham became the second-youngest after Michael Owen to score for England in a World Cup match. Four years is a long time in sport so it fits that some of the players from that squad are not part of this World Cup (Jack Grealish, Mason Mount, Raheem Sterling). Between one World Cup and another, Bellingham has won La Liga, the Champions League and played in the final of the European championship. As a No.10 in Carlo Ancelotti’s midfield diamond, Bellingham scored 23 goals and had 13 assists in 42 matches in his first season at Real.
Shades of Kohli
In all this, it may get lost that he turned 23 last month. The son of a police officer and a non-league striker, Bellingham joined Birmingham City at seven, made such an impression that the club retired his jersey when he switched to Dortmund at 17. At 13, he was an England under-15 international, at 14 their captain. At 19, he was at Real Madrid.
Confident, articulate, a fierce competitor, a generational talent with a burning desire to win and the ability to bend matches his way, Bellingham shows shades of a young Virat Kohli. Like Kohli in his 20s, Bellingham has got into trouble for speaking his mind. And like Kohli in Australia in 2014-15, Bellingham thrives in adversity. Azteca was the latest. England will hope it is not the last of this campaign.
