England great Wayne Rooney has drawn striking comparisons between Jude Bellingham and two of the most celebrated midfielders in British football history.
Rooney believes Bellingham’s stunning display against Mexico echoed the iconic performances of Steven Gerrard and Roy Keane in famous European nights.
Bellingham, 23, scored twice in just 98 seconds as Thomas Tuchel’s England side edged Mexico 3-2 in a thrilling World Cup last-16 clash at the Azteca.
The victory was made all the more remarkable given that England finished the match with 10 men, yet still held on to secure a famous win in Mexico City.
England now face Norway in the quarter-finals as they continue their pursuit of a first major international trophy since lifting the World Cup on home soil in 1966.
Speaking on his BBC podcast, Rooney likened Bellingham’s contribution to Gerrard’s role in Liverpool’s astonishing 2005 Champions League final comeback against AC Milan, as well as Keane’s legendary display against Juventus in 1999.
“I said Jude Bellingham was going to have a game when we’re going to need him to drag us through,” Rooney said on his BBC podcast.
“You look at Steven Gerrard against AC Milan in the 2005 Champions League final. Roy Keane against Juventus for Manchester United. They dragged the teams through them games.”
Gerrard scored the opening goal as Liverpool overturned a 3-0 half-time deficit in Istanbul to win on penalties, while Keane scored against Juventus as United overturned a 3-1 aggregate deficit despite being booked and ruled out of the final himself.
Bellingham also produced a crucial last-ditch tackle to deny Mexico defender Cesar Montes what would have been a 2-2 goal on the stroke of half-time, a moment Rooney highlighted as equally important to his two goals.
“At times defensively he’s not always in the right positions, but his desire to get back and put that last-minute tackle in and help his team-mates when they’re not maybe having the best game was everything,” Rooney added.
The former Manchester United and Everton striker was fulsome in his praise for the Real Madrid star, awarding him the highest possible rating for the performance.
“I just felt when you get asked to mark them out of 10, you’re looking, thinking – could he have done a little bit more to get that mark up?” Rooney said.
“I just felt it was the right game to give him a 10 out of 10,” he added, citing the various difficulties and pitfalls surrounding the match as context for the perfect score.
Rooney’s verdict reflects a growing sense across English football that Bellingham is stepping into the kind of match-defining, tournament-shaping role that only the very greatest players occupy on the biggest stages.
