He wears Three Lions on his chest – and his heart on his sleeve.While we all know where his (golden) balls are.
And he will be the pin up superstar of English football for a long, long time to come. Welcome to the new world of Jude Bellingham.
A young bloke who now has as much responsibility on his shoulders, as talent in his feet. Someone who wants vindication as much as he craves victories on the international stage.
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And make no mistake, despite all his success at club level with Real Madrid following a sensational first season in the Spanish capital, this was the biggest game of Bellingham’s career to date. The chance to help England reach another semi final of a major tournament.
The chance to inspire England one step closer to that Holy Grail of a trophy. Yet even someone as gifted as Bellingham has to let others take the plaudits sometimes.
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(Image: Getty Images)
Whisper it, but there are two more young superstars in the English ranks, who might not court the same headlines, but will make plenty of them in the years to come. And most of them will be positive ones.
Bellingham wasn’t even the best player in his own team, let alone the world. This honour went to Bukayo Saka, with able support from Kobbie Mainoo.
Saka was sublime from start to finish. He terrorised Leonidas Stergiou, leaving him with twisted blood at times. He hauled England back into the game with just 10 minutes remaining.
(Image: PA)
And when he scored from the spot in the shoot out, it felt like the ultimate redemption for someone targeted with appalling racist abuse, after he missed in the same scenario at the final of the last Euros. While is Mainoo really only 19?
Some kids his age are waiting to head off to Uni, but here was Mainoo schooling seasoned pros like Granit Xhaka in the art of how to control a game. The fact it was the most important one of his young career, made it all the more impressive.
While Bellingham huffed and puffed in a bid to blow the Swiss house down, Mainoo cruised along like a Rolls Royce of a midfielder. Mainoo is so humble he refuses to park his BMW among the fleet of flash sports cars at Manchester United’s training ground, and leaves it round the front instead.
(Image: Getty Images)
But he has now parked himself in the engine room of this Three Lions team. Mainoo was the personification of coolness and care with the ball.
He did the simple things to perfection, and is becoming reminiscent of how Didier Deschamps used to operate in that great France team. Providing the calm amid the chaos.He has that precious gift of being in the right place at the right time, like when he got back to intercept a dangerous cross from Dan Ndoye in the opening 10 minutes.
Or when it took a last-ditch challenge to stop him from opening the scoring at the opposite end, close to half time. Mainoo wasn’t even in the starting XI at the beginning of Euro 2024.
(Image: PA)
But here he was bossing his own little battles, while even having the confidence to dole out some advice and instructions to Kyle Walker, who is closing in on 90 international caps. Mainoo resembles a teenager born into a man’s body.
Along with the equally brilliant Saka, they stood head and shoulders above the rest around them in white. He had to be sacrificed when England went behind following Breel Embolo’s close range strike.
But nothing should detract from his contribution to the cause. Saka will take the plaudits, having ridden to England’s rescue, and then some. And he will deserve them all too.
Which will suit Mainoo just fine, because he prefers a reading light to the limelight. Bellingham claims to write his own scripts.But last night in Dusseldorf, for once the story wasn’t about him.