With one goal and three assists against Croatia, Bellingham delivered a phenomenal performance. After the match, The Daily Telegraph wrote that Bellingham continues to reach new heights and has the potential to become England's greatest player of all time.

In the run-up to Euro 2024, Adidas released a two-minute advertisement featuring Sir David Beckham, Frank Lampard, and British grime artist Stormzy, with Jude Bellingham as the star.

The advertisement used The Beatles' song "Hey Jude" as its soundtrack, positioning Bellingham as the central hero England has long needed in major tournaments. It conveyed the belief that he could shoulder the responsibility and finally end England's long and painful wait for a championship.

However, the outcome was another championship failure for England. Bellingham's team believed he was made a scapegoat for the defeat. Bellingham himself later stated that he felt like a "sacrifice."

"I lost my smile because I felt treated unfairly given the effort I put in," he added.

The loss in the Euro 2024 final left Bellingham extremely frustrated, feeling that he was blamed for the defeat.

At the time, everyone overlooked one thing: it was his own agent and sponsors, not the media or Sir Gareth Southgate, who elevated Bellingham to this status. Such expectations came too early. But if Bellingham can maintain his current trajectory, then at the next major tournament in 2026, the prediction in the advertisement may come true.

At the 2022 World Cup, Bellingham established himself as a top player, scoring 7 goals and delivering outstanding performances in several matches. Gary Lineker once said the midfielder had the chance to become England's greatest player of all time.

In the World Cup quarter-final against Senegal, Bellingham scored twice, pulling England back from the brink of defeat.

Such striking and bold statements made headlines, and following England's big win over Croatia in the Nations League on Saturday, similar comments emerged. This time Roy Keane spoke: "I think Bellingham could become one of the greatest players of all time."

"He's a phenomenal footballer. Fully capable – running ability, passing quality, goal threat, everything is outstanding. Watching his development, I'm confident he has significant room for improvement."

Undoubtedly, Bellingham continues to reach new personal highs, both at club level with Real Madrid and with the England national team. Against Croatia, he was almost unstoppable, scoring one goal and providing three assists.

The last time an England midfielder was directly involved in four goals in a single match was David Platt in 1993, but that was in a 6-0 win over San Marino, whereas this opponent was Croatia, ranked 14th in the world.

Bellingham is only 23 years old and already has 59 appearances for England. He will certainly far surpass Kane's appearance record for England. Captain Kane currently has 124 appearances for England and will lead the team against the Czech Republic on Tuesday.

Kane himself is already a legend and also qualifies to compete for the title of England's greatest player of all time, especially since he has scored 89 goals and is very likely to reach one hundred. Behind him is Wayne Rooney with 53 goals – Kane's tally is nearly double Rooney's.

However, as The Telegraph's sports column stated during the World Cup: unless Kane wins a major tournament for England, it will be difficult to crown him as England's greatest player ever. He may yet achieve his dream at the next European Championship, but at 33, time is running short. Bellingham, on the other hand, has at least another decade to pursue championship glory.

Kane is England's all-time leading goalscorer, but he has increasingly limited time to compete for an international tournament title.

Until a trophy is secured, the answer is undeniable: Sir Bobby Charlton remains England's greatest player of all time. Anyone who wants to challenge this status must first have a major tournament winner's medal. Some even believe another World Cup is needed – a second star – because a European Championship title alone is insufficient to rival him.

Bobby Charlton was a key figure in England's 1966 World Cup victory and is still widely regarded as England's greatest player of all time.

At the same time, we must recognize that Bellingham's importance to the team is growing at an astonishing pace. Not long ago, England was still Kane's team. The captain's status has not diminished, but Bellingham's performances have been so impressive that his influence may already exceed Kane's.

Yet less than a year ago, external doubts were rife. In October 2023, Bellingham was dropped from the squad, and Tuchel's inappropriate comments, which he later regretted, left his starting position uncertain. At the time, Tuchel greatly admired Morgan Rogers in the number ten position, believing he was better suited to the system. Coincidentally, Rogers is Bellingham's best friend in the England squad.

Therefore, when Bellingham was selected for the World Cup warm-up match and started against Costa Rica in Orlando, it was major news. From the start, he pressed forward at full speed, applying high pressure and setting the tempo. Since then, he has run tirelessly, driving England forward with his remarkable ability and mental strength. Now it is up to his teammates to keep pace with him.

At that point, it was hard to imagine Bellingham as a candidate to succeed Kane as captain. The absence of vice-captain Declan Rice from this squad further elevated Bellingham's position in the team.

Previously, he wasn't even in the conversation as Kane's replacement, but now he is a strong contender. However, it is widely believed that if Tuchel is still coaching the team when the captaincy is decided, Rice is likely to become captain.

The most impressive aspect of the match against Croatia was Bellingham's relentless drive to push the team forward and raise expectations. Since becoming famous at Dortmund, he has constantly demanded higher standards from his teammates. This occasionally caused friction and misunderstandings, particularly during his time at Dortmund. Older players found it difficult to accept a teenager openly pointing out their mistakes on the training ground, with some feeling he was too harsh. But Bellingham craves winning – a quality historically lacking in England – and one that may ultimately prove decisive.

Look at England's seventh goal against Croatia – Bellingham also orchestrated the team's first goal. This time, he won the ball deep in his own half and, after two touches, played a through ball to Rogers running forward. With the match already decided, the simplest choice would have been to control the ball and run down the clock, but instead he broke down Croatia's defense.

As Rogers scored, Bellingham, 60 yards away, raised both his arms.

He sent a clear message: "Everything is under control."

If he can maintain this mindset, then he is fully prepared to become England's greatest player of all time.

Diterjemahkan oleh AI.

Situs web AF kini hadir! Lihat berita lengkap, komentar, detail pertandingan, dan statistik di komputer Anda. Kunjungi: www.allfootballapp.com