According to Sport, Bellingham has made his mark on England's FIFA World Cup campaign, becoming the driving force of an attack that still lacks full coherence and relies on his creativity to open up defenses. The Real Madrid midfielder is carrying the team, responsible for orchestrating play, creating assists, and scoring goals.

England's Attacking Core

He has scored 2 goals and provided 1 assist for England across 3 matches, accounting for 3 of the team's 6 goals. Against Croatia, he scored the third goal, helping England break through and make it 3-2; against Panama, he opened the scoring to break the deadlock before assisting Kane to seal a 2-0 victory, which was the Bayern forward's third goal in this tournament.

Bellingham had an inconsistent season at Real Madrid, leading England coach Tuchel to initially exclude him from squad selections. He missed the first call-up due to injury and had limited appearances in subsequent squads before another injury setback kept him out again. This caused Tuchel to initially omit him from the FIFA World Cup squad entirely. However, after a strong finish to the season, Bellingham was eventually called up. He arrived at the tournament in excellent form and has rediscovered his best self in a team often criticized for lacking midfield creativity, proving to be the standout player in the squad.

Playing in a More Advanced Role

When asked why he appeared happier and more confident in the England shirt than at the club, he replied that it was "not a matter of confidence." He also explained his positional differences: "At Real Madrid, I play slightly differently, in a deeper position. With England, I play as a No. 10 or in a more advanced No. 8 role, but honestly, I don't mind where I play as long as I perform well for the team."

His challenges at Real Madrid intensified after Mbappé's arrival. With the Frenchman firmly established in the forward line alongside Vinicius, Bellingham faces significantly more competition than in his debut season. Over the past two seasons (24-25 and 25-26), he has scored 23 goals combined (15+8), matching his debut season (23-24) total. That season, he played more frequently in advanced positions behind Vinicius and Rodrygo, giving him greater freedom to enter the opponent's penalty area and resulting in 23 goals.

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