Jude Bellingham Leads England to World Cup Semi-Finals with Historic Performance

After two challenging seasons with Real Madrid, Jude Bellingham is once again showcasing his best form as he stars for England in the 2026 World Cup. The midfielder, whose place in the squad was once in doubt, has become the most decisive player for his country.

His impact was clear last night, as he scored a brace to help England recover from a one-goal deficit and defeat Norway in extra time during their quarter-final match. With these two goals, he helped ensure that Real Madrid is the new record holder as the club with players scoring the most goals in a single World Cup campaign, reaching a total of 19.

These two goals also brought his personal tally in the tournament to six. In doing so, he joined Gary Lineker and Harry Kane as one of only three English players to score more than five goals in a World Cup.

As ESPN reported, Gary Lineker shared his admiration for the Real Madrid midfielder on The Rest is Football podcast. The former England forward suggested that Bellingham could eventually become the greatest player in English football history.

“I would go as far as to say I think there’s a chance that I think he could well be, or end up being, England’s greatest ever footballer. And that is a big shout.”

“We’ve had some really great players. Some of them have not necessarily done it for their country, others have… Go back to people like Bobby Charlton obviously, I would say would have to be up there.”

“You would put Harry Kane in that bracket and there are other players as well, but I think at this age, to be doing what he’s doing and grabbing England by the scruff and getting them over the line, that is superstar.”

Jude Bellingham remains one of the standout performers in this World Cup. These performances should help him regain the confidence he may have lost over the last few seasons. Real Madrid’s new coach, Jose Mourinho, will likely be pleased with his form but will need to develop a system that maximizes the Englishman’s potential while balancing the needs of the other stars in the squad.