Real Madrid superstar center midfielder Jude Bellingham is a Champions League winner and one of the best players in the world in his position, nearly willing the England national team to a European Championship just two years ago before they ultimately fell short to the Spanish side.
Bellingham, for all he has accomplished in such a young career to this point, is still a magnet for criticism, even within the English media. Even before the World Cup began, people were rather laughably debating if Jude should even be a starter in the national team, somehow forgetting the bicycle kick goal against Slovenia in the Euros and all his other impressive performances.
But those who truly know ball understand how great Jude is and how vital he is to England's success. You can count France national team and Arsenal legend Patrick Vieira, who is currently a coach, to know ball and understand what makes a great midfielder great.
Jude Bellingham is absolutely necessary
Vieira had high praise for Jude Bellingham and made a big prediction, stating that England will not be able to win the World Cup without Jude being at his highest level. The old Arsenal captain said, via Madrid Xtra, “To win the World Cup, your best player has to play at their best, and we talk about Jude Bellingham. England will not win the World Cup if Bellingham is not at the top of his game.”
There is nothing that Patrick Vieira said here is that is wrong, but nestled within that comment about England neeidng Jude to win the World Cup is another big statement that Arsenal fans might appreciate a little bit. Vieira basically called Jude the team's best player, even above Ballon d'Or favorite and Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane, who was also wonderful in their openinig 4-2 win over World Cup contenders Croatia.
It is so hard to pick between Kane and Bellingham, but even though the former scores more goals, because of how much the latter makes an impact and his athleticism in winning possession and progressing the ball, it is more than reasonable to call him the team's best player. And he was certainly more impactful than Kane through the whole European Championship tournament in 2024.
The point remains that England need Jude. They need him at their best badly, and Vieira seems to think that the need him to win maybe even more than Harry Kane.
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