How do Jude Bellingham's critics square their claims that he is a petulant, disruptive influence on the England team with the trail he is blazing at the World Cup, shooting us to a showdown with Argentina in tomorrow’s semi-final?
For context: we’ve only made it this far three times before in World Cup history: 1966, 1990 and 2018. For even more context: Bellingham is the only player from any team to score two goals in a game in consecutive World Cup matches since Argentina legend Diego Maradona in 1990.
When you’re that good, you are fully entitled to call things as you see them. And there’s where it lies for Jude Bellingham’s critics. Left to them, footballers would still be sitting up straight in readiness for the manager’s arrival, shaking hands to celebrate a goal and nowhere near any campaigns to speak about mens’ vulnerabilities, preferring instead a stiff upper lip.
Bellingham’s haters remain stuck, knee deep, in an age when forelocks were tugged and caps were doffed in the face of sporting authority.
Bellingham has never, ever, ascribed to that kind of deference. Which is why his response to criticism of the England team’s performance against Norway, from head coach Thomas Tuchel, was to defend his team-mates.
It sent his critics into a frenzy. Yet even they must be struggling to square his standing up for his band of brothers with the idea that he’s a negative influence.
Either way, when you’re that good, you’re not worried about the consequences. In the same way that neither Kylian Mbappe nor, say, Lionel Messi would be worried about the repercussions of speaking their minds.
Even as a player for the German club Borussia Dortmund, Bellingham has always oozed a confidence and a consistency to back up his talk with action.
Before Dortmund, teenage Bellingham was so amazing at his previous club, Birmingham City, that they decided no other player would wear his 22 shirt after he was sold.
At his current club, Real Madrid, Bellingham inspired his team-mates to the Spanish equivalent of the 2023-24 Premier League title and the FA Cup, as well as the Champions League – all in his debut season.
At the European Championship Finals two years ago, it was Bellingham saving England with the winning goal against Serbia in the group stages and a match-saving goal against Slovakia.
And now, at this World Cup, Bellingham has scored in four of England’s six matches, saving the country on Saturday night after Norway had looked as though they’d cause a massive upset. Already, Bellingham is being spoken of as one of England’s greatest players of all time.
He would prefer that to be on the basis of winning this World Cup rather than memories and a hard-luck semi-final story.
That said, outside the heroes of 66, Bellingham is easily up alongside Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer, David Beckham, Michael Owen, Wayne Rooney and Harry Kane as a saviour of this nation when our major tournament future has been on the line.
Bellingham isn’t an Arthur Fery, the Wimbledon “Brit” semi-finalist who is actually the son of a French multimillionaire, football club owner and a member of the All England Club.
Bellingham is an ordinary boy from Birmingham doing extraordinary things in the US and refusing to apologise for who he is. He is the real inspiration to all of us. You’ll be agreeing when he scores the winner against Argentina tomorrow night.
