Jude Bellingham: England's Rising Star Dominates International Tournaments

Jude Bellingham is not easing himself into another tournament. He is grabbing it by the throat.

Handed a starting role as England launched their latest international campaign, the midfielder drove Gareth Southgate’s side to a 4-2 victory over Croatia in their opening fixture, dictating the tempo and the tone. When a tight, awkward clash with Panama threatened to drift, it was Bellingham who broke the deadlock, again the man who refused to wait for someone else to solve the problem.

When England needed something more, the stakes rose. So did he.

With the team crying out for inspiration, Bellingham and record-breaking captain Harry Kane stepped forward together, both on the scoresheet in a breathless last-16 win over Mexico at the iconic Azteca Stadium. The stage was heavy with history; Bellingham treated it like a playground.

He tore through that first half, rattling in a quick-fire brace that sent England fans into wild celebration and Mexico into panic. The questions about his temperament, his edge, his attitude? They have followed him from Birmingham to Dortmund to Madrid and into the national shirt. The answer keeps arriving in the same form: decisive goals, big performances, and a swagger that never seems to wilt under pressure.

That “who else?” celebration, made famous at Euro 2024, sums him up. It is not a pose. It is a statement.

Former England midfielder Danny Murphy, speaking to GOAL in association with BetWright, sees a rare blend in the 21-year-old. “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, through England’s stuttering spells as well as their high points. “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.”

This is the crux of it. Plenty of young players flash talent. Very few take command of games that seem to be slipping away. Bellingham keeps doing it.

“He's got something very few players have,” Murphy said, “which is that balance between wonderful ability and an unbelievable mentality and belief in himself. 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 club stage tells the same story. Bellingham did not just arrive at Real Madrid; he walked into the most demanding dressing room in world football and owned it from the first whistle of his debut season. Goals, late winners, big-game interventions – he played like someone who had been there for a decade. Only injuries have checked his rhythm this year, not opponents.

Murphy’s view on his selection is blunt. “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.

“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.”

That is where Bellingham breaks the mould. The line between confidence and arrogance has tripped up plenty of prodigies. He walks it and still finds the energy to do the ugly work.

Pressed on that edge, Murphy drew a comparison with some of the game’s great match-winners. “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 is the nightmare for opponents: he hurts you in the final third and still hunts you down in his own half. There is no safe zone.

“He just looks incredible to me,” Murphy said. “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, from Birmingham to Madrid, the pattern is the same. When the game tilts, when the noise rises, when England need someone to say “who else?”, Jude Bellingham keeps stepping into the frame.

The real question now is how far that mentality can drag a nation.