The strange thing about Jude Bellingham, the young phenomenon who is establishing himself as one of the best footballers in the world, is that his performance for England against Senegal in the World Cup quarterfinals on Sunday night was not surprising.
The extraordinary talent of the England midfielder has no limitations. The 19-year-old from Stourbridge possesses the arrogance of Paul Gascoigne during Italia 90, the audacity of Michael Owen during the 1998 World Cup, and the explosiveness of an 18-year-old Wayne Rooney during Euro 2004. Even for those around the Borussia Dortmund star, resistance seems futile.
“I don’t want to gush about Jude Bellingham too much because he’s still young, but he’s one of the most talented players I’ve ever seen,” Phil Foden stated as he discussed his teammate following the victory against Senegal, despite failing to maintain his composure. He will be the greatest midfielder in the world.
Too many? Unlikely. Bellingham, who joined the academy of Birmingham City when he was eight years old, has been destined for greatness ever since he began playing football. His past coaches speak of a talent who was notably superior to the other boys. Phil Wooldridge told the BBC last month, “You’d see him play and go, ‘Yeah, that kid’s got it.'” Since then, he has grown tremendously.
Bellingham was four years old when Wooldridge, who managed PSI Sports, introduced himself to him. He participated in Wooldridge’s children’s games and, according to the legend, was on the winning team the majority of the time. “He has simply excelled,” Wooldridge stated.
More rigorous examinations were required. Mark Bellingham’s father, a West Midlands police sergeant and a renowned amateur striker collaborated with Wooldridge to form the Stourbridge Juniors young team.
The advancement was quick. Mike Dodds, an academy coach at Birmingham, suggested to Bellingham that he could be a new style of midfielder, a No. 22. Why? Dodds stated, “You can be a No. 4, No. 8, and No. 10.” “A person who can do anything”
Birmingham knew something extraordinary was occurring. Bellingham became the club’s youngest player when he made his debut at the age of 16 years and 38 days, surpassing Trevor Francis’ record that had stood for 49 years.
During his debut year as a professional, he played 44 games and did not appear out of place. Larger clubs contacted us. Bellingham was desired by Manchester United, but he was fascinated by the prospect of joining Dortmund.
Many young English talents flourished in Germany after relocating there. It was the ideal fostering ground, especially considering that Bellingham had already witnessed Jadon Sancho bloom after his transfer from Manchester City to Dortmund.
Bellingham told, after joining Dortmund for an initial £25 million in the summer of 2020, that the club’s method of integrating young players into the first-team group is unparalleled.
Bellingham quickly dominated the Bundesliga. The surprise that greeted Birmingham’s decision to retire jersey number 22 has subsided. Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, and Real Madrid will compete in the summer to sign Bellingham.
All of Europe’s best have witnessed him dominate Champions League games for Dortmund, and the club is aware that an asking price of over £100 million will not discourage potential suitors.
Whoever acquires Bellingham will acquire a player with an exceptional attitude. He possesses unearthly levels of self-confidence. Edin Terzic, manager of Dortmund, describes Bellingham as “the oldest 19-year-old I’ve ever seen.”
Gareth Southgate, the head coach of England, discusses a young player who desires to start every game, take all corners, and lead the team.
Bellingham failed to become the youngest player of any nationality to appear in a European Championship when he came off the bench in England’s Euro 2020 triumph over Croatia at the age of 17 years and 349 days.
Since then, he has become a crucial starter for Southgate’s team. He was great in England’s opening World Cup match against Iran, scoring the opening goal with a stunning header, but he was even better against Senegal. In the first half against the African champs, it was Bellingham who carried England through a difficult stretch.
He encouraged the crowd to make greater noise by stirring them up. He regained possession. Bellingham eventually broke through the Senegalese defense and soothed England’s anxieties by setting up Jordan Henderson’s opening goal.
It was laughable. At one point, Bellingham approached Harry Kane and advised the England captain to forget about a wasted opportunity. This is not typical adolescent behavior. English football adores its mavericks, but Bellingham is not one of them.
He is on the route to superstardom, but there is no indication that the popularity has affected his judgment. Rarely does he lose his temper on the field? He works on improving the squad and allows his talent to garner attention.
Pressure is something that should be embraced. When England faces the world champions in the quarterfinals on Saturday, Bellingham refuses to believe that he will be matched up against France’s superb forward Kylian Mbappé.
Bellingham stated, “I don’t know if it’s just me and him going toe-to-toe.” It is simply a matter of fulfilling my position on the team and attempting to win the game.
