Real Madrid superstar Jude Bellingham is one of the top five players in world football right now, yet he does not seem to get the respect he has merited for what he has already accomplished in his very young career. Jude nearly dragged Borussia Dortmund to the title (which they only lost because he got injured), won the Champions League and nearly won the Pichichi as midfielder in his debut Real Madrid season, and nearly dragged England to a European Championship Final in 2024.
Yet coming into the 2026 World Cup, Thomas Tuchel almost seemed reluctant to admit to Jude's importance, and there was a legitimate debate among the deranged "I only ever watch the Premier League" crowd that Morgan Rogers merited starts over Bellingham in the midfield because he is more creative.
Well, Bellingham totally destroyed any disbelief in his quality and ability to change games. Alongside the legendary striker Harry Kane himself, Jude was one of the two players who led England to a massive 4-2 victory over Croatia. Not only did Bellingham score a great solo goal, but he nearly scored a couple of more, showing immense athleticism and ball progression to produce chances from sheer nothingness.
Jude Bellingham is that guy
If there were any debate about the merits of starting Bellingham, the Real Madrid star unequivocally ended them, and Manchester United icon Gary Neville is among those in agreement that the spot is 100 percent Jude's.
Neville said of England's best young player, via the Madrid Zone, "We spent the last 4 months debating on Jude Bellingham or Morgan Rogers. The argument is over. Jude is the absolute top player."
Well said, Mr. Neville. With all due respect to Morgan Rogers, who is a very intelligent player with real end product and has been crucial for Unai Emery's Aston Villa becoming something of a Champions League fixture in the Premier League, he is not on the same level as Bellingham as a footballer or an athlete.
The way Bellingham changes games is simply beyond what any other midfielder or even winger on England can do, and when you account for his all around game and ability to blow by people, you really have to say he is just as important as record breaking goal scorer Harry Kane. Bellingham is a player who can drag you to championships, as he has done or nearly done in his illustrious career, and even the punditry in England cannot deny him.
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