England’s Jude Bellingham is carrying the weight of a 60-year wait on his shoulders as he drives his country towards World Cup glory in the United States.
The tournament has a way of becoming one player’s defining moment, with unstoppable momentum building towards football’s greatest prize.
Diego Maradona did it with Argentina in 1986, Ronaldo achieved his redemption with Brazil in Yokohama in 2002, and Lionel Messi finally claimed his personal Holy Grail with Argentina in Doha in 2022.
Despite scoring two goals to overcome Norway in the Miami heat, Bellingham still has a long way to go before he can be bracketed with those truly iconic figures.
Formidable barriers remain, with Messi and Argentina standing in England’s way in the semi-final in Atlanta after Argentina’s win over Switzerland.
Beyond that, Spain, or Kylian Mbappe and a brilliant France side, could represent the final frontier between England and ending the barren years stretching back to 30 July 1966 when Sir Alf Ramsey’s side won the World Cup.
Bellingham is the first player to score two or more goals in consecutive knockout stage games at a single World Cup since Maradona’s magnificent 1986 tournament.
At 23, he is also the second youngest player to achieve that feat, behind only Pele, who did the same at just 17 when Brazil won the World Cup in Sweden in 1958.
His personal statistics from the Norway win were a compelling indicator of his influence, with five shots, six touches in the opposition box, eight duels won, and four fouls won.
Of his 12 goals for England, nine have come at major tournaments, with five putting England ahead and two arriving as equalisers, illustrating his extraordinary ability to deliver at decisive moments.
Only Gary Lineker, with six goals in 1986, has scored as many non-penalty goals in a single World Cup, and Bellingham still has games remaining to add to that tally.
Erling Haaland is the only other player at this World Cup to have scored with his left foot, right foot, and head, underlining the complete dynamism Bellingham brings to every match.
Bellingham famously declared “Who Else?” towards England fans after his 94th-minute overhead kick equaliser against Slovakia at Euro 2024, saving his country from embarrassment in Gelsenkirchen before England won in extra-time.
He endured his share of difficulties after that moment, even being excluded from head coach Thomas Tuchel’s squad at one point, but this World Cup has been an unbroken upward curve.
Tuchel actively encouraged a friendly rivalry with Morgan Rogers, but ultimately trusted Bellingham’s world-class experience and big-game pedigree when it mattered most.
Messi, at 39, remains Argentina’s leader and inspiration, having scored eight goals at this World Cup as his country eyes back-to-back tournament victories.
England will believe Bellingham represents their own powerhouse capable of being the point of difference, and the battle of the number tens in Atlanta promises to be truly intriguing.
Who wins that duel between Messi and Bellingham will likely shape who reaches the World Cup Final, with Spain or Mbappe’s France waiting in the wings.
Bellingham could yet join football’s greatest names if he helps England finally end six decades of hurt, and right now, he looks every inch the player in the mood to do exactly that.
