Wayne Rooney Names Jude Bellingham World Cup’s Best Player

Wayne Rooney, England’s all-time leading scorer, has declared Jude Bellingham as the best player at the current World Cup. The former Manchester United star praised the Real Madrid midfielder for his exceptional performances and crucial contributions to England’s journey to the semi-finals.

Bellingham’s World Cup campaign has been remarkable, with the 23-year-old netting six goals in six games. This tally places him just two behind the tournament’s leading scorers, Kylian Mbappe of France and Lionel Messi of Argentina. Bellingham is level with England captain Harry Kane, while Erling Haaland of Norway, whose team was eliminated by England, has seven goals.

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“In terms of best in the world I think you’re looking at someone like Mbappe or Haaland,” Rooney said on The Wayne Rooney Show. “Bellingham hasn’t quite hit those levels at Real Madrid this season, but he’s been the best player in the tournament for me.”

Rooney highlighted Bellingham’s evolution into a big-game player for England. Across World Cups and European Championships, he has amassed nine goals and three assists. Only Mbappe, with 12 goals before turning 24, has scored more in major tournaments at a younger age among European players. Bellingham’s efficiency at major tournaments for England is notable, averaging a goal or assist every 138 minutes, a significantly higher rate than his average of one every 284 minutes in other international matches.

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Rooney’s assessment of Bellingham’s style of play underscores his all-around impact. “With Jude, it’s all about energy, passion, desire, drive and that’s how he’s getting his rewards,” Rooney explained. “That’s very rare to have that. A lot of these top players rely on the ability and the technique to get their moments. Jude has desire and hunger and it’s so refreshing to see a player playing the toughest game but also doing it. That’s what fans want, especially the England fans. They want to see players running and working for the team and for the badge.”

The former England captain also drew parallels between Bellingham’s fiery temperament and his own playing days. “He reminds me of me in terms of one minute you’re thinking, ‘this lad’s a genius’, and the next minute you’re thinking, ‘don’t go into that tackle, don’t get sent off’,” Rooney admitted. “It’s exactly how I was. But he’s obviously backing it up in the biggest tournament. There were doubters before but he’s put all that to bed.”

England’s semi-final clash against Argentina is set to be a pivotal match. Rooney believes that if Harry Kane is in form, he will pose a significant threat to Argentina’s centre-backs, Cristian Romero and Lisandro Martinez. “If Harry Kane is on it they won’t be able to deal with him,” Rooney stated. “He’s a nightmare for that type of defender. If he comes deep and they come with him and they feel a bit exposed it’s about the timing of pass and run in behind. If he’s on it he’ll destroy these centre-backs.”

The reliance on Kane and Bellingham for England’s goals is striking. They have accounted for 12 of the team’s 13 goals in the tournament. No team in World Cup history that has scored more than 10 goals has been more dependent on two players’ scoring output. Rooney acknowledged that while Bellingham has been outstanding, he still sees Kane as the player who could ultimately win the tournament for England.

The development matters for FootballGames10 readers as it highlights the exceptional performances of a key player in a major global tournament, offering insights from a respected former international star on the current state of elite football.

Source: BBC Sport Football, https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/c5yzy0kl2gzo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss