In a lacklustre and risk-averse England team, Jude Bellingham unsurprisingly hasn’t been at his best this summer, but nobody has shown a willingness to seize the moment quite like him.
He scored the thumping header that gave England their only win in normal time so far, saved them from an embarrassing exit with a sensational overhead kick, and calmly dispatched his penalty in the shootout against Switzerland. Bellingham has come to the fore and delivered these vital contributions – because of his character as much as his ability. His supreme self-confidence and fierce competitive spirit have long stood out.
Occasionally it can get the better of him, but that edge is what makes him such a special player, a game-changer for Real Madrid and England. He wouldn’t have made it this far so soon into his career without it.
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Once the initial relief and euphoria of beating Slovakia in the second round died down, there was something of a backlash to Bellingham’s comments and actions, both during and after the game. People saw a different side to him and some weren’t sure they liked it.
There was the shout of ‘Who else?’ after he bailed an insipid England out in the 95th minute, followed by his gesturing towards the opposition bench that resulted in a €30,000 fine and a suspended one-match ban.
Then, in post-match interviews, he expressed satisfaction at being able to prove a point to England’s doubters and critics.
This was the first time that many supporters had been exposed to this aspect of Bellingham’s character, but it’s always been there and remains a key ingredient in his success.
As a person, he’s articulate and humble – attributes that have earned him great praise in the media over recent years – but he has an ego on the pitch, like so many other elite footballers. He’s never doubted that he belongs at this level. Bellingham has an undeniable swagger about him and deservedly so. He trusts in his own ability and plays with absolute conviction, traits that help elevate him above others. He believes he can bend games to his will and shows it too.
Mentality has a huge influence on any footballer’s development and prospects of success. It’s one of the intangible factors that so readily separates players of similar ability and marked Bellingham out at an early age.
While his former Birmingham City teammates speak of him as someone who was always polite and respectful, this couldn’t disguise a steely determination of the kind we’ve seen amplified recently with England.
In his first training session with the first team, Bellingham put the club captain on his backside after feigning to shoot and never shied away from a physical challenge.
This was evident throughout his breakthrough season in the Championship, where his size and technical ability was enhanced by his remarkable drive.
Full of fire and passion, he would get stuck in, whip up the crowd and put mouthy opponents in their place.
His trademark celebration, arms spread wide to savour the crowd’s applause, started with just his second professional goal, on his first league start, away to Charlton Athletic at the age of 16. He’s never been short of confidence and nor should he be.
Bellingham only turned 21 during this tournament. There’s still so much room for him to grow and improve over the coming years. While he needs to remain wary of arrogance, we shouldn’t look to dampen the fire that’s already taken him to the top.
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Former England midfielder Darren Anderton has stated that he agrees with his former team-mate Gareth Southgate, and would also play Bukayo Saka at left-back, while Ian Wright has defended Jude Bellingham’s confidence. Rio Ferdinand, meanwhile, has claimed that he’d “walk home” from Germany if Southgate didn’t start Kobbie Mainoo.
ITV pundit Ally McCoist has labelled Spain defender Nacho as “embarrassing” for his playacting against Germany, while Florian Wirtz is the first to score against La Roja at this tournament. In other news, this is our team of the last-16.
