Jude Bellingham continues to cement his status as one of England’s most important players after another brilliant display helped propel the Three Lions into the World Cup semi-finals.
England booked their place in the last four with a dramatic victory over Norway, with Bellingham once again producing the kind of magic supporters have come to expect from the Real Madrid midfielder.
At just 23 years old, he is already viewed as one of the finest players in world football, and his leadership on the biggest stage has only strengthened that reputation.
His latest display has prompted comparisons with some of England’s greatest midfielders, particularly Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard, who captained both club and country during an illustrious career.
Gerrard earned 114 England caps between 2000 and 2014, featuring at three World Cups and three European Championships, but he was unable to guide the national team to major tournament success despite regularly producing outstanding performances at club level for Liverpool.
Writing in his latest column for The Telegraph, Jamie Carragher explained why he believes Bellingham possesses one attribute that Gerrard never truly displayed on the international stage.
“We have always known Bellingham is a world-class player,” Carragher wrote.
“Many of us will acknowledge he is proving himself even better than we thought.”
“Since he burst on to the scene, when comparing him to England players, the most obvious reference point has been Steven Gerrard.”
“Gerrard had absolutely everything as a midfielder: passing, tackling, goalscoring and, most crucially, the ability to change and win games, seemingly single-handedly at times.”
“If there is one quality my ex-captain lacked, it might be that when he went away with England he was not arrogant enough.”
Carragher believes Gerrard’s humility, while admirable, may have prevented him from fully imposing himself within the England setup.
“There were times I felt he should have walked into that dressing room and made it known he was ‘the man,’ so to speak. That was not his character.”
“Bellingham has that arrogance. As soon as he put on that Real Madrid shirt, for example, he had the look of someone who was thinking, ‘I belong here, I deserve this, and I can be the best player at this club.’”
“Some see that attitude as a negative. For a footballer readying himself for his prime years, arriving at the biggest club in the world, it isn’t.”
With England now just one victory away from reaching another World Cup final, Bellingham has the opportunity to achieve what Gerrard and many of the country’s other legendary midfielders ultimately could not and that is leading the Three Lions to the biggest prize in international football.