Jude Bellingham: England's Heartbeat in International Tournament
Jude Bellingham is not easing himself into this latest international tournament. He is tearing straight through the middle of it.
Handed a starting role as England kicked off another campaign, the midfielder has become the heartbeat of a side intent on going deep. He drove them to a 4-2 win over Croatia in their opening fixture, dictating the tempo, demanding the ball, dragging team-mates up the pitch with him. When the next test arrived, a tense encounter with Panama, it was Bellingham who broke the deadlock, forcing open a game that had threatened to tighten around England.
When Gareth Southgate’s team needed leaders, two stepped forward. Bellingham and record-breaking captain Harry Kane both found the net in a wild last-16 showdown with Mexico at the iconic Azteca Stadium, a stage built for big personalities and bigger moments. England didn’t just survive the chaos. They embraced it, and Bellingham was at the centre of it all.
The 21-year-old rattled in a quick-fire brace in the first half, igniting scenes of unrestrained celebration in the stands and on the touchline. The questions that have followed him in recent months – about temperament, about the edge to his character – only seem to fuel him. That “who else” celebration, made famous at Euro 2024, is not a gimmick. It is a statement of how he sees himself on the pitch.
Danny Murphy sees it too. The former England midfielder, speaking to GOAL in association with BetWright football betting, did not bother to dilute his verdict.
"He's a wonderful footballer in terms of his all-round game, athleticism, technical ability, fitness. He's got the lot but he's also got that wonderful mentality and belief in himself that you see very rarely in young players when you look down the years. Maybe Stevie G, maybe [Wayne] Rooney, Michael Owen, that type of level."
Murphy has watched Bellingham closely, including during an England side’s stuttering Euro 2024 campaign. Even as the performances around him faltered, Bellingham kept forcing the issue.
"He's done it for years. It doesn't surprise me what he's doing. Even in the Euros when we played badly he was still the one. I was at games where he was the one trying to make things happen - he had the overhead kick and the header in the first game to get us the win."
That blend is what separates him. Not just talent. Not just work. The balance.
"He's got something very few players have, which is that balance between wonderful ability and an unbelievable mentality and belief in himself," Murphy said. He admitted he had been baffled by the debate over Bellingham’s place in the side, with some suggesting others should start ahead of him.
"I found it bizarre and I could look back on the interviews I did when I was asked about Bellingham starting or not, Rogers, etc, etc. I found it a little bit laughable. Not because Rogers isn't a brilliant player but Bellingham's levels are a step above and he's proven it in big tournaments."
The evidence is not confined to England duty. Bellingham walked into Real Madrid, into that unforgiving dressing room and that white-hot spotlight, and performed like he owned the place.
"Actually, even if you take away international football, to walk into Madrid and do what he did in that season is nothing short of incredible. The only reason this season's been a bit off for him is because of some injuries."
Fit? He plays. Simple as that.
"If he's fit, he plays. It doesn't matter where either. It actually doesn't matter where because he's so blessed. I'm really pleased for him because although some people don't like that kind of arrogance or that belief and it comes across to some the wrong way, I love that because it never, ever impacts his output in the game.
"Normally, you get players who think they're amazing and they are amazing but sometimes they walk about and think that scheme should work for them. He's not that guy."
This is the crucial distinction. The line between confidence and arrogance often blurs at the very top level. Many cross it. Some live on it. Bellingham, in Murphy’s eyes, does something rarer still: he marries that swagger with relentless graft.
Pressed on that point, Murphy drew a sharp comparison with other elite forwards.
"It's not always conducive with a phenomenal work ethic.
"The best players over the years gone by, you could look down at some of them and go, yes, he was amazing but I didn't see him tracking back or pressing or closing down. Salah would be a good example of that. He's not particularly bothered about the defending but it doesn't matter because he wins you so many football matches. Bellingham's both."
That’s the nightmare for opponents. He presses. He chases. He tackles. Then, in the next breath, he is gliding past players, picking passes, finishing chances with a forward’s calm.
"He just looks incredible to me. He looks like he's enjoying it. He looks like he can win games on his own. He's just a phenomenal player. For those who did question whether he should be playing or even some articles suggesting he should stay at home, they should be holding their head in shame, those guys, and actually apologising publicly."
From Croatia to Panama to Mexico, Bellingham has turned this latest tournament into another platform. Not to prove he belongs – that argument ended in Madrid – but to underline a harsher truth for everyone who doubted him: England’s ceiling now looks a lot like his.
