It isn't every day that a Real Madrid superstar gets a flattering comparison to one of the best players to ever play the game for rivals Barcelona, but Jude Bellingham certainly deserves all the superlatives for his heroics at the Azteca. Without his goals, progression on the ball, and insane defensive work, including in his own box, England would have never touched Mexico in Mexico City, handing El Tri their first ever loss at the venue in the World Cup.
Bellingham was inspired to a different degree, scoring a rapid fire brace as a center midfielder, looking almost like a legenadary No. 9 with how he sniffed out two chances from out of nowhere in the span of less than 100 seconds. And again, without those two goals, England would not have had a prayer at beating a Mexico side that looked superior for much of the match.
After the game, reporters asked Bellingham how he feels about being the last person to score two goals at the Azteca in a game of this magnitude since Diego Armanda Maradona of Argentina himself in 1986. It was 40 years ago that Maradona accomplishes this insane feat of football history at Azteca, and yet at the age of 23, Bellingham, a center midfielder, did the same exact thing.
Jude Bellingham is a historic player already
Jude Bellingham told the press, via Madrid Xtra, "Scoring 2 goals at Azteca like Diego Maradona?mHe's far greater than me, but good company to be in."
Leave it to Jude to be so humble as to say that Diego Maradona was "far greater" than him, and while it is true that Jude has a lot of work to do before he can be mentioned in that same breath, he already has some ridiculous accomplishments to be proud of in his young career.
After all, Bellingham was the best player in the world in the 2023/24 season in just his first campaign with Real Madrid, then nearly carried England to the European Championship that summer. All the while, he was competing for the Pichichi with legendary striker Robert Lewandowski over at Barcelona while, again, being a midfielder.
Bellingham saved a goal in the six yard box with a ridiculous clearance, won more than a handful of fouls and dribbles completed, and scored those two goals with brutal clinical efficiency against Mexico. Maradona could not have done all those things, for example. Jude, already, is a historic player in his own right.
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