It's hard to call Jude Bellingham the breakout star of the World Cup considering he's been playing at an incredibly high level for two years already but his displays for England will certainly be ensuring the whole world knows just how good he is.
It's remarkable that Bellingham is still a teenager. Just 19-year-old but yet he's swaggering around the pitch as if he's already been dominating them for a decade. Just imagine what he will be like after he has.
England 's knock-out games, especially World Cups, are supposed to be edgy, nervy affairs but Bellingham's guile and class made Sunday's 3-0 victory over Senegal in the last 16 almost rudimentary. The Three Lions hardly had to shift out of second gear for the entire second half and concluded the match without any bookings or injuries ahead of a blockbuster tie with France.
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It was the second goal in particular that showed off the vastness of Bellingham's skillset. In the past, England have had players who can win the ball, ones who can carry the ball forward and then ones who can make a killer pass but rarely if ever have they had one who can do all three. His work for Harry Kane's strike would have been remarkable enough but that had come just a few minutes after he had teed up the opener with a perfectly waited pass.
There have been prospects before that have probably had the talent of Bellingham at his age but very, very few have had such intelligence so young. Every decision he makes is the right one, it's always the right pass, at the perfect time and as Phil Foden said: "He's going to be the best midfielder in the world, for sure."
Speculation surrounding Bellingham's future was already well underway before the tournament but you can rest assured it will be tipping into hyperdrive now and Borussia Dortmund must be adding £20million to their asking price with every passing game. It's going to cost a whole lot of money for whoever signs him but even a fee of £150million looks as though it would be a bargain.
Just like they were with Erling Haaland in the summer, Manchester City must ensure they are at the front of the queue. With big money having been spent on attack and defence in recent windows, midfield is the next position in need of rejuvenation.
Ilkay Gundogan is 32, his contract expires in the summer and an extension is not guaranteed, Kevin De Bruyne will be 32 when the next season begins and Bernardo Silva has wanted to return to mainland Europe for the last two years. That leaves just Rodri and Kalvin Phillips - who has only played 54 minutes for the club as of yet - as the only midfielders under 30 whose futures at the club are secure for some time yet. Young blood is needed.
There isn't a better possible signing to ensure City's dominance for the next decade than Bellingham. He's already a sensational player and he's still developing. Just imagine what level he could reach with Pep Guardiola as his tutor.
There was already a lot going in the Blues' favour for the potential signing. The allure of working with Guardiola, their position as one of the very best teams in the world, a near guarantee of silverware, a good relationship with Dortmund, having already got a close friend of his in Haaland and being one of the few clubs who could afford such a massive fee.
Liverpool, Real Madrid and Manchester United are the three teams also being linked the most but it's difficult to see Liverpool or Madrid having the cash and it would be career malpractice if he chose Old Trafford. Paris Saint-Germain could also be an option but the Premier League is much more enticing than Ligue 1.
And if City needed any more convincing than they got it on Sunday with the brilliant way Bellingham linked up with Foden. The pair were operating on the left side of the field and were repeatedly crafting nice, passing moves together which resulted in the second goal.
The prospect of them playing together every week, along with Haaland, De Bruyne and the rest is intoxicating and now it's up to the Blues to make it happen. Whatever the cost.
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