Jude Bellingham and England are just three games away from winning the country's first major men's international trophy in 60 years after a famous victory against Mexico
10:40, 11 Jul 2026
Jude Bellingham is trying to win the World Cup with England
Jude Bellingham is trying to win the World Cup with England(Image: Getty Images)
Former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy has praised Jude Bellingham's work ethic by comparing the Englishman to Mohamed Salah.
Bellingham, 23, is trying to win this summer's World Cup with England. The Real Madrid superstar is playing a crucial role in his country's efforts, scoring four goals so far, including a brace in the recent 3-2 victory against Mexico at the Azteca Stadium.
That win set up a quarterfinal clash with Erling Haaland's Norway, which will take place on Saturday. Murphy, who featured 249 times for Liverpool during his playing days, was asked about Bellingham's willingness to work tirelessly, both offensively and defensively.
Murphy answered by referencing Salah. The Liverpool legend is undoubtedly one of the greatest Premier League players of all time, but he isn't lauded for his willingness to track back from attack.
Speaking to GOAL, Murphy said: "The best players over the years gone by, you could look down at some of them and go, yes, he was amazing, but I didn't see him tracking back or pressing or closing down.
"Salah would be a good example of that. He's not particularly bothered about the defending, but it doesn't matter because he wins you so many football matches.
Bellingham has been compared with Mohamed Salah
Bellingham has been compared with Mohamed Salah(Image: Getty Images)
"Bellingham's both. He just looks incredible to me. He looks like he's enjoying it. He looks like he can win games on his own. He's just a phenomenal player."
Before the World Cup, there was some speculation that Bellingham might be benched in favor of Morgan Rogers, or even left out of the squad altogether. Yet Thomas Tuchel stood by the Madrid midfielder, who is putting together a remarkable playing career.
Bellingham only turned 23 last month, but he's already made more than 300 appearances at club level and earned 53 caps for England. The former Birmingham City star has won trophies in Germany and Spain, including the La Liga title and Champions League.
He's also picked up two runner-up medals at the Euros with England and now has his sights set on finally clinching international silverware. Murphy went on to compare Bellingham to Liverpool icon Steven Gerrard, who he played alongside at Anfield.
He added: "He's a wonderful footballer in terms of his all-round game, athleticism, technical ability, fitness.
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"He's got the lot, but he's also got that wonderful mentality and belief in himself that you see very rarely in young players when you look down the years. Maybe Stevie G, maybe (Wayne) Rooney, Michael Owen, that type of level. He's done it for years."
Bellingham and England will face either Argentina or Switzerland in the World Cup semifinals if they can beat Norway on Saturday.
Should they reach the final, the Three Lions will take on either France or Spain. The French are the favorites to win the World Cup, while the Spanish defeated England in the Euro 2024 final.