{"success":true,"data":{"id":"daa3f088-e5e5-4de3-8b74-e66009306a84","title":"Hey Jude: Bellingham's return to England indispensability","summary":"Close menu A-Z Sports Hey Jude: Bellingham's return to England indispensability Published 3 hours ago Image source, Getty Images Senior football correspondent in Miami The Jude Bellingham Show.","content":"Close menu\n\n**A-Z Sports**\n\n# Hey Jude: Bellingham's return to England indispensability\n\n*   Published 3 hours ago\n\n![Image 1: A picture of Jude Bellingham in a publicity shot wearing an England shirt, staring at the camera.](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/ace/standard/609/cpsprodpb/a0d9/live/211e77d0-7cd1-11f1-926f-c90d1bcfbc84.jpg)Image source, Getty Images\n\nSenior football correspondent in Miami\n\n**The Jude Bellingham Show.**\n\nA World Cup body of work that, even by the Real Madrid midfielder's lofty standards, has been as mesmerising as we've seen in an England shirt in recent major tournaments.\n\nIt seems ludicrous now to think that there was even a debate as to whether Bellingham would be in England's World Cup team at all.\n\nBellingham has emerged as one of the stars of England's run to the World Cup quarter-finals - he's arguably been one of the best players of the tournament.\n\nFour goals plus an excellent assist for Harry Kane's goal in the 2-0 win over Panama has had England's supporters serenading the 23-year-old here in the USA.\n\nBut Bellingham appears to be taking it all in his stride.\n\nOf course, he is used to the adulation. It is no surprise that Bellingham finds himself in the position he does today - his route to the top was predicted by those in the game when he burst on to the scene in 2019.\n\nHere, BBC Sport charts Bellingham's rise.\n\n## Bellingham stunned the scouts from his debut\n\nBellingham made [his debut for hometown club Birmingham City](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/50893576) aged 16 years and 38 days in August 2019.\n\nHe became the Blues' youngest ever player, breaking club legend Trevor Francis' record set in 1970.\n\nA Premier League scouting report from that game suggests the midfielder's talent was quickly apparent, acknowledging his \"great athleticism, long legs, graceful running and work-rate\".\n\nBut it was Bellingham's technical skills that really caught the scout's attention - his ability to carry the ball away from pressure and find space by getting between the lines or pulling wide.\n\nThe report recommended the undisclosed Premier League club immediately sign Bellingham, loan him out and then bring him into their senior squad in 18 months' time.\n\nWithin a year, Bellingham was on the move - not to the Premier League, but to Borussia Dortmund [in a deal worth £20.7m](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/53471811).\n\nUpon his departure, Birmingham retired Bellingham's number 22 shirt, with the teenager having played just 44 times for the club.\n\nBut Birmingham City knew.\n\nEveryone in English football was starting to realise.\n\nGermany very quickly found out, too.\n\nBellingham [scored on his debut](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/54155999) for Dortmund, bagging the second goal in a 5-0 win over Duisburg in the German Cup.\n\n    \n\n    *   Published 4 hours ago \n\n    \n\n    *   Published 5 hours ago \n\n## Fast-track to senior international squad\n\nIt wasn't long before Sir Gareth Southgate, then England manager, took notice.\n\nBellingham, having played just 11 matches for Dortmund and still only 17, was fast-tracked into the senior national side, making his debut as a late substitute in a [3-0 win over Republic of Ireland in November 2020](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/54819958).\n\nThe clamour for Bellingham to become a regular for Southgate gained decibels with every brilliant display in Germany's domestic league.\n\nYet Southgate restricted him to just three substitute appearances at the delayed Euro 2020, where England reached the final.\n\nOn reflection, Southgate carefully managed Bellingham's early steps into international football.\n\nAnd Southgate's number two Steve Holland, according to well-placed sources, was a key figure behind Bellingham's transition into the squad, particularly regarding the defensive aspects of his game.\n\nBut by the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Southgate and Holland could not hold Bellingham back any longer.\n\nBellingham's headed opener in the [6-2 win over Iran](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/63603382) was his first at senior international level. There have been nine more goals since.\n\nBy Euro 2024, Bellingham was a key player for his country.\n\n## The emergence of the Real Madrid Galactico\n\nWith Bellingham's strong performances came a swagger - a trait that can divide opinion.\n\nAt Euro 2024, Bellingham had been [a Real Madrid player for almost a year](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/65836734) - a Galactico who had scored 19 goals for his La Liga and Champions League-winning club.\n\nEvery media outlet at the tournament wanted a piece of him.\n\nBellingham was given leeway to skip tournament media duties, certainly with the English press, that other players had to undertake, all while filming his own multi-part documentary. It raised eyebrows.\n\nIt also did not go unnoticed that immediately after the final whistle of England's loss against Spain at the [Euro 2024 final](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/live/cp68zzx8x4rt) Bellingham isolated himself away from the rest of squad.\n\nYet his impact on the pitch was undeniable.\n\nHis [overhead kick equaliser](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cg3ej1gd172o) during the dying seconds of England's last-16 win over Slovakia was one of the moments of the tournament.\n\nBellingham's now iconic 'who else' celebration showcased his oozing self-confidence - but provided another example of the 'main character syndrome' that Southgate and some of the players had begun to notice.\n\n## The pre-tournament selection questions\n\nFast-forward to today and Real Madrid have not won La Liga or the Champions League since 2023. Amid the [off-the-field turmoil at the club](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/c5yve05jrjeo), Bellingham has not been able to match the form or prolific goalscoring of that glorious first season.\n\nHe's also had a few injuries, with shoulder surgery meaning he missed the start of the season.\n\nAnd clouds appeared around his England career.\n\nThomas Tuchel, perhaps as a result of English being his second language, caused a media stir last summer when the new England head coach said his mother viewed some of Bellingham's on-field behaviour as \"a bit repulsive\".\n\nThe comment created a lot of headlines - and did not go down well with those close to Bellingham.\n\nTuchel later [apologised](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/c209vk92pdyo), saying he \"used the word unintentionally\".\n\nThen in October, after being named England's player of the year, Bellingham was left out of Tuchel's squad.\n\nEngland had played well without him in September while he was recovering from injury, and he had only played one game for Real since he returned to action.\n\n\"He is a special player, and for special players there can always be special rules,\" Tuchel said at the time.\n\n\"But we decided to keep with the straightforward decision of inviting the same group.\n\n\"Jude always deserves to be here. He wanted to be called up. We had a phone call.\"\n\nReports in Spain offered an alternative scenario - that it was Bellingham who asked to be left out of the squad in order to focus on his fitness.\n\nUltimately, it seemed like Bellingham was no longer first choice.\n\nIndeed, in June Tuchel said the midfielder had a [fight on his hands to feature in England's starting line-up](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/clyel3mxryvo) at the World Cup because he had \"14 or 15 potential starters\" in his squad.\n\nAt that time, Bellingham had only appeared in half of the 14 matches since the German took over in January 2025: four starts and three appearances off the bench.\n\nThe narrative was: 'should it be Rogers or Bellingham to start at number 10?'\n\n    \n\n    *   Published 15 hours ago \n\n    \n\n    *   Published 5 days ago \n\n## Bellingham has matured in front of the world\n\nBut from the World Cup warm-up matches against New Zealand and Costa Rice, things started to look different - with Bellingham impressing.\n\nIn the first World Cup game against Croatia, Bellingham scored a fantastic solo goal to put England 3-2 ahead.\n\nAnd against Panama, when England were struggling for a breakthrough in the final group game, Bellingham scored the crucial goal to break the deadlock.\n\nWhile he was substituted in all three group games, Bellingham's form was strong.\n\nAgainst DR Congo in the last 32, he played an influential full-game.\n\nAnd then came Mexico.\n\nTwo goals in an iconic victory - heralded as one of England's greatest away wins - cemented his resurgence.\n\nIn five matches he has won three player of the match awards.\n\nThese awards mean he has to do media interviews, where he has portrayed both maturity and humility, playing down his role and speaking up for the team's work ethic and togetherness, while praising his opponents - even offering one of his player awards to the other team.\n\nAfter the 'who else' celebration of 2024, this time he has said he'd rather assist than score.\n\nHis change in tone tallies with his on-field performances. His work-rate is a driving force alongside his talent - remember his goal-saving challenge against Mexico.\n\nHe has won praise for being adaptable, in particular in moving between a 10 and eight role at times, depending on the needs of the team, and is a key part of the England leadership group with Kane and others.\n\nIt is not know exactly what happened with Tuchel and Bellingham.\n\nWas it all overblown or was there has been some level of the German asserting his leadership over the whole squad - perhaps recognising and managing that main character syndrome?\n\nBut whatever the truth, Bellingham has looked happy, has played well and has been a key part of a squad that seems genuinely together.\n\nIt is easy to forget, with all he has achieved, that Bellingham is only 23. He has had to mature in the brightest spotlight.\n\nBellingham - and Kane - have been widely regarded as the indispensable superstars of the England team.\n\nAnd with a quarter-final against Norway on Saturday, there could be more goals to cement his greatness.\n\nFigure caption, \n\nBellingham's goal-saving defending\n\n## Related topics\n\n## More on this story\n\n    \n\n    \n\n    *   Published 2 July","source_name":"BBC News","source_url":"https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/ckg47l8nl7jo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss","url":"https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/ckg47l8nl7jo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss","author":"Unknown Author","author_name":"Unknown Author","published_at":"2026-07-11T07:54:32.000Z","publication_date":"2026-07-11T07:54:32.000Z","image_url":"https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/ace/standard/609/cpsprodpb/a0d9/live/211e77d0-7cd1-11f1-926f-c90d1bcfbc84.jpg","category":"world","topic":"world","tags":[],"political_bias":null,"bias_score":null,"confidence_score":null,"credibility_score":null,"factual_quality":null,"reading_time":8,"word_count":1567,"view_count":0,"breaking":false,"breaking_news":false,"ai_analysis":null,"fact_check_status":"unverified","archive_status":"hot"}}