{"id":645654,"date":"2026-06-18T17:08:18","date_gmt":"2026-06-18T17:08:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/645654\/"},"modified":"2026-06-18T17:08:18","modified_gmt":"2026-06-18T17:08:18","slug":"jude-bellingham-shows-the-trait-ignored-by-critics-to-prove-hes-englands-best-no-10-at-world-cup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/645654\/","title":{"rendered":"Jude Bellingham shows the trait ignored by critics to prove he\u2019s England\u2019s best No 10 at World Cup"},"content":{"rendered":"

Your support helps us to tell the story<\/p>\n

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.<\/p>\n

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.<\/p>\n

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.<\/p>\n

Your support makes all the difference.Read more<\/p>\n

As Jude Bellingham<\/a> walked off the pitch, a familiar tune rang out from the public address system inside the giant Dallas Stadium. England fans sang along to \u201cHey Jude\u201d as Bellingham walked towards the tunnel, waving to the crowd, embracing his teammates, taking the adulation in his stride.<\/p>\n

This was ostensibly Harry Kane\u2019s night<\/a>, scoring two goals which took him level with Gary Lineker\u2019s tally of 10 at World Cups. But perhaps the evening meant more to Bellingham, a player who has been publicly questioned and privately doubted by his own manager, who has been subjected to scrutiny unlike his teammates. \u201cDon\u2019t bring Jude,\u201d ran a headline in the Daily Mail earlier this season, suggesting England would be better off without him at the World Cup.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s good to put some of the noise aside and just show my country and my teammates how committed I am to helping us win football matches,\u201d said Bellingham, after scoring England\u2019s third goal in a 4-2 win<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"MorganMorgan Rogers and Jude Bellingham embrace at full-time (Getty)<\/p>\n

One of the decisions Thomas Tuchel<\/a> stewed over before this opening game \u2013 and throughout his 18-month reign \u2013 was whether Bellingham or Morgan Rogers should be his No 10. Bellingham missed last September\u2019s qualifiers after undergoing shoulder surgery and it was unfortunately timed. That was the camp when England played their best game under Tuchel, winning 5-0 in Serbia<\/a>, in which Rogers was excellent. <\/p>\n

Tuchel omitted Bellingham from the following camp despite his return to fitness at Real Madrid. There was also the infamous line about Bellingham\u2019s \u201crepulsive\u201d on-field behaviour<\/a>, which Tuchel attributed to his mother and a slip of the tongue in his second language, and for which he later apologised. <\/p>\n

Tuchel felt England created a \u201cbrotherhood\u201d during their September and October camps, and noted a moment in Serbia when a group of England players conducted their own meticulous warm-down despite not playing in the game. Could a powerful personality like Bellingham slip seamlessly into the fold? <\/p>\n

Even when he made the World Cup squad, there was no guarantee Bellingham would start against Croatia. Tuchel was asked before kick-off, why Bellingham over Rogers? \u201cIt was really close,\u201d the manager said. \u201cIn the end we stuck with the team that played and started so well against Costa Rica.\u201d It was hardly a ringing endorsement of Bellingham\u2019s qualities.<\/p>\n

Was he picked because of his big-game appetite, that knack for scoring when it matters? Of Bellingham\u2019s six previous England goals, two opened the scoring and three were late equalisers, including the overhead kick against Slovakia at Euro 2024<\/a>. No, said Tuchel. \u201cA 50-50 call,\u201d he called it, as if Bellingham had just beaten Rogers in a game of rock-paper-scissors in the dressing room.<\/p>\n

\"BellinghamBellingham applauds England fans after full-time (PA)<\/p>\n

There are a raft of other No 10s Tuchel could have chosen. Eberechi Eze didn\u2019t get a kick here. Phil Foden and Cole Palmer watched the game on TV. But really, what is the point of Bellingham\u2019s unique talents if you don\u2019t use them? England have a player who Real Madrid bought for \u20ac103m aged 19, who won the Champions League at 20, who is at his fourth major tournament at 22. Steven Gerrard played his fourth aged 30. Frank Lampard was 36.<\/p>\n

Bellingham showed why he is an essential piece of England\u2019s World Cup puzzle. There are the intangibles, like his sheer presence in an England team and what that brings. He already carries an aura that transmits confidence to his teammates, that makes opponents feel a little smaller as they line up in the tunnel.<\/p>\n

And any doubts sown when he lost the ball in the lead-up to Croatia\u2019s first goal were forgotten in an outstanding second half. English football\u2019s great malady has been an inability to keep the ball against capable opponents in tournament conditions, in summer heat when the pressure ratchets up. It is something Gareth Southgate began to remedy in the latter phase of his tenure, but this 45 minutes was better still.<\/p>\n

Bellingham was central to that control, receiving passes in deep positions and popping the ball off to a teammate, or shielding it from opponents and driving forwards with the ball at his feet. In that 20-minute blitz by England after half-time, Bellingham was physically and technically superior to everyone else in midfield. <\/p>\n

Then there were his tackles, three of them, more than any other player on the pitch. These were not just toes on the ball but full slides through his opponent, comprehensive clean-outs, taking the man with him as he went. They brought low-octave hums of \u201cJuuuuuude\u201d from the crowd and enthusiastic applause from his manager.<\/p>\n

\"BellinghamBellingham fires home England\u2019s third goal of the game (Reuters)\"JudeJude Bellingham celebrates after scoring England’s third goal (Reuters)<\/p>\n

And then came Bellingham\u2019s goal, the culmination of a 23-pass move. Bellingham fixed his eyes on the goalkeeper and drove into the box, ignoring his teammates, holding off his marker and sliding a finish against the far post and into Dominik Livakovic\u2019s net.<\/p>\n

It was a performance that encapsulated the best of Bellingham, a player whose greatest gift is to keep the ball from opponents using his body, his brain and his quick feet, whether that\u2019s receiving a pass from one of England\u2019s centre-backs under pressure, or powering into the opposite box with defenders bouncing off his frame.<\/p>\n

There were moments in Dallas when he geed up the crowd, or admonished the referee, or bellowed at teammates for not reading his mind. But most of that edge was channelled into a performance full of commitment and purpose, delivered with an energy that set England\u2019s tone.<\/p>\n

Perhaps a career path outside the Premier League\u2019s gaze has stymied his appreciation in England. Above all, it is Bellingham\u2019s abilities off the ball that go unnoticed, his positional sense, the way he hunts down opponents. No England player has won more duels since his international debut. No England player has won back possession more often in the final third.<\/p>\n

And perhaps it doesn\u2019t help Bellingham that he is so hard to define, a No 10 who isn\u2019t really a typical No 10 at all. He is a player who tackles, passes, dribbles and scores, who is strong and skilful too. His youth coach at Birmingham City famously marvelled at how he could play three midfield roles at once \u2013 numbers 4, 8, and 10 \u2013 so added them together and assigned him No 22.<\/p>\n

\"BellinghamBellingham is greeted by Thomas Tuchel after being replaced late in the game (PA)<\/p>\n

Tuchel said leaving out Rogers was a tough decision after his contributions in qualifying. But, he explained, \u201cyou can rely on Jude in these moments. He loves these pressure games, that brings out the best in him. So that\u2019s an easy decision to let him play and to trust him. Also because of the last 16-17 days, how he bought into the idea of team spirit, into the idea of brotherhood.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was telling that when Declan Rice left the field with a minor injury<\/a> in the second half, Bellingham dropped deeper beside Anderson. The relationship has at times been uneasy, but Tuchel showed his trust in Bellingham at a time when England were leading 3-2 and needed midfield stability.<\/p>\n

Did Bellingham feel he had something to prove? \u201cA little bit, yeah,\u201d he smiled. \u201cI think I\u2019ve got a bit of a chip on my shoulder, haven\u2019t I? And you play best when you\u2019re like that. I think that helps me a lot to find that focus early in the game and to find that intensity. <\/p>\n

\u201cI know it\u2019s part of being a footballer. I don\u2019t hold a grudge against anyone who says bad things about me because sometimes I do deserve it. Today, I think it was nice to try and show people and remind them what I\u2019m about.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Your support helps us to tell the story From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":645655,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[217516,6494,217518,787,217519,217520,5665,309,203662,176898,293,10668,172288,59,121013,11237,185019,44765,183803,2605,185022,154128,217517,6487,1671,217,101,186994,183798,15473,3329,56,54,203664,55,659,203772],"class_list":["post-645654","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sports","tag-arlington-texas","tag-color-image","tag-cowboys-stadium","tag-croatia","tag-croatia-national-soccer-team","tag-croatia-national-team","tag-embracing","tag-england","tag-england-national-soccer-team","tag-england-national-team","tag-fifa","tag-fifa-world-cup","tag-fifa-world-cup-2026","tag-gb","tag-group-l","tag-horizontal","tag-international-team-soccer","tag-jude-bellingham","tag-match-sport","tag-morgan-rogers","tag-national-team","tag-number-10","tag-number-17","tag-photography","tag-soccer","tag-sport","tag-sports","tag-sports-team","tag-stadium","tag-success","tag-texas","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-united-kingdom-national-team","tag-unitedkingdom","tag-usa","tag-world-sports-championship"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/645654","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=645654"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/645654\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/645655"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=645654"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=645654"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=645654"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}