AL WAKRAH, Qatar — When England returned to their Al Wakrah base in the early hours of Monday morning after defeating Senegal 3-0 in World Cup round 16, they were greeted with the usual welcome party of hotel staff dancing and loud music. Jack Grealish disturbance in pleasure; Mount MasonHer bright smile lit up the room. Somewhere in the melee, Jude Bellingham politely, but bluntly just walk over, saying, “I’m not making a move.”
The rest of the world will disagree. In fact, that was almost the only time Bellingham had Not occupies a central position since arriving in Qatar. On the eve of the quarterfinals against the defending champion France on Saturday, the 19-year-old is threatening to become the breakout star of the tournament, revolutionizing England’s midfield with a series of dynamic performances, all while appearing uninteresting. know nothing about the importance of this occasion.
Bellingham was hardly an unknown before this World Cup, having progressed rapidly over the past 2 and a half years at Borussia Dortmund. His maturity was noted in October when he was elected captain in many matches and became the youngest captain ever to score in championship against Seville.
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Old club Birmingham City gave up the number 22 shirt when leaving in the summer of 2020, choosing Dortmund instead Manchester United. At the time, Birmingham was ridiculed because teenage Bellingham had only been in the first team for one season, but it was starting to sound like well-deserved recognition for the unique talent they had unearthed.
It is always a sign of the impression a player is making on a global scale when journalists from all over the world come to UK press conferences and ask about an individual. Time and again, the focus in Qatar was on Bellingham and so the campers tried to downplay it.
Phil Foden is a prime example of trying and failing to follow the party line in seeking to avoid the kind of hype that can put pressure on a teenager who is still moving ahead in the game. “I don’t want to appreciate him too much because he’s still young,” Foden began after another Bellingham game against Senegal, before adding: “But he’s one of the most talented players out there. that I’ve ever seen. He has no weakness in his game. I think he’s going to be the best midfielder in the world.”
Foden wasn’t the only one who couldn’t help but get carried away. “I always say he is the future, but he is the present,” said the winger Bukayo Sakawhile the captain of England Harry Kane described Bellingham’s game as a game “with no weaknesses.”
Even Steve Holland, the widely regarded and considered assistant to Gareth Southgate, was amazed at Bellingham’s all-round contribution at this tournament. “There are only three things you can do in football: stop goals, score goals, score goals,” he said on Monday. “That’s how you contribute. Jude can do all of those things. And lately, he’s started scoring, which makes the biggest players great. It’s his ability to win games. that he’s adding to his game.”
Dortmund head coach Edin Terzic called Bellingham “the oldest 19-year-old player I’ve ever seen” and the maturity he showed in Qatar was perhaps the most impressive aspect of his development. .
Very little has confused him. Only USA made Bellingham blink in their 0-0 clash in Group B, as they have identified him as the main threat in midfield. Gregg Berhalter’s own tireless trilogy — Weston McKennie, Tyler Adams and Yunus Musah — managed to disable him to the point where he was withdrawn because Jordan Henderson.
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But in the remaining three games, Bellingham made a game-changing contribution. He scored England’s opening goal in the previous 6-2 win Iranand scored England’s first goal in a 3-0 victory over Wales. Against Senegal, the way he went forward, making tackles before making a well-timed pass in a counter-attack that ended with Kane’s first goal of these finals. , like a turning point in his career. (He also assisted in Henderson’s opener.)
Bellingham is threatening to settle a position England has struggled for years. Central midfield is England’s weak spot even in recent strong times. They have a habit of not keeping the ball well enough against the strongest opponents, and the pattern is familiar in both their 2018 World Cup semi-final defeats before Croatia and last summer’s Euro 2020 final loss Italy highlights one of the few areas that still needs improvement under Southgate.
It has long been felt that England does not possess a Luka Modric or Marco Verratti the style of the player, someone with the intelligence to control the game, almost acting like a metronome, if required. Bellingham isn’t exactly that type of person either, but he’s quickly becoming an all-round midfielder.
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Steve Nicol and Alejandro Moreno discuss how England will deal with Kylian Mbappe when they face France.
From England’s first four games, Bellingham has scored one goal, one assist, 93% pass success rate (better only by John Stones and rice among regular England players) and 23 ball recoveries, more than any other England player. England’s midfield composition has been designed to make the most of his abilities. Southgate used Henderson alongside Rice in a 4-3-3 against Senegal as it allowed Bellingham to move a little more safely and affect play in the attacking areas.
France’s midfield has been weakened by pre-tournament injuries N’Golo Kante and Paul Pogbaso Southgate must consider how far he feels England can open up against the defending champions, but giving Bellingham as much scope for play as possible will greatly affect his decision. his thought.
And it’s not just the French that took notice. Bellingham’s club future has been the subject of much speculation, with talk about 150 million euros transfer fee. ESPN previously reported that Liverpool is leading the race for his signature, but Real Madrid and City of Manchester among the clubs that have not given up hope.
The fact that Bellingham formed a close bond with Liverpool’s Henderson during this trip was a positive for Southgate, but it could be the same for Reds manager Jurgen Klopp, who turned him teenager into his top midfield transfer target.
Europe’s elite clubs all want him. Bellingham actually had more moves than he thought.
