K-Not

Jude Bellingham, some thoughts. Crazy that this has to be emphasised again but here we go again. Bellingham will be a vital player for England at the World Cup. Mad that this has to be spelled out again. Bellingham is England’s reigning Player of the Year, voted Player of the Match in their last game, in their five-man leadership group, rescued England at Euro 2024, closes on a half-century of caps at 22 and will soon pass Colin ‘Nijinsky’ Bell, Sir Geoff Hurst and Glenn Hoddle on the England appearance list. While a teenager, Bellingham was named Bundesliga Player of the Season at Borussia Dortmund. He now starts for Real Madrid with Kylian Mbappe, has won La Liga and the Champions League and been named La Liga Player of the Year. We should be proud that English football has produced a special talent (hat tip to Birmingham City) who’s gone abroad and now stars for the biggest club in the world. Bellingham shines in a Real spotlight that can feel like a real searchlight to some. For clubs and country, Bellingham embraces pressure in challenging games. He’s going to be a hugely important player for England at the World Cup because he’s gifted, possesses a big-game mentality, and, also like Harry Kane, will have enjoyed a winter break so should be fresher. I’ve been fortunate to cover England at 15 tournaments. I’ve seen pile-ons on Barnes, Gascoigne, Beckham, Rooney, Sterling and Rashford, when objective criticism crosses the line into hounding. It’s happening with Bellingham. It’s a myth that Bellingham is simply about himself. Any fair-minded observer can see the work he does out of possession, tracking back, tackling, covering for others. He contributes to the collective. I’ve never spoken to Bellingham. He avoids the England writers but broadcast colleagues speak highly of his helpfulness. I don’t know his family or advisers but I do know that he’s 22, still maturing, that everything he does gets scrutinised and he will inevitably learn it’s pointless arguing with officials but that’s also part of his desperation to win. Bellingham demands high standards of himself and others. That has to be good if England are to progress far at the World Cup. He has a competitive edge that England need. It’s one of his great strengths, that mindset. So, some perspective and balance is required here. Bellingham wants to play. He expressed momentary frustration when realising he was being subbed against Albania. He showed respect to the assist-makers and goalscorers (as Kane emphasised by posting a post-goal pic of the pair), to the man replacing him (his friend Morgan Rogers) and to Thomas Tuchel, who calls him “a special talent”. Rogers has done well for Tuchel but doesn’t have the track record of dominating big games like Bellingham. Respected media colleagues from other countries think it’s madness there’s even a debate about possibly leaving Bellingham behind. Tuchel has a key role to play here, as I’m sure experienced heads at the FA will be quietly mentioning. He’s surely aware that Bellingham must be feeling hounded by some headlines, and that is not a healthy situation for him, for England or Tuchel himself. What Tuchel, England and the FA don’t need is tension festering for four months, seeping into the March camp, and Bellingham reporting feeling like there’s a target on his back. Anyone with any experience of following England knows that such situations harm the team’s prospects. Tuchel needs to go to Madrid and speak with Bellingham. Speak with, not to. Be supportive. And then publicly remind the doubters how important Bellingham is to England, perhaps through a few words via the FA website, reflecting on 2025, and looking forward to what could be a momentous 2026. Because for England to have a momentous 2026, they need Jude Bellingham. It’s foolish to think otherwise. #ENG