According to former England player Wes Brown, Jude Bellingham has “the same thing” as Cristiano Ronaldo in terms of confidence and drive for improvement.
The Real Madrid midfielder saved the Three Lions from certain defeat in their last-16 match against Slovenia by displaying traits akin to those of Cristiano Ronaldo. Bellingham’s incredible overhead kick with just seconds remaining in the match broke the tie and put England in position to win in extra time.
Former Manchester United defender Brown, who once played alongside Ronaldo at Old Trafford, has told the Euro Thrash podcast of Bellingham being cut from the same cloth as the Portuguese superstar: “I don’t think it is arrogance, I just think it is confidence. Cristiano Ronaldo had the same thing. He would get a lot of stick early on and he would come in the next day and be like ‘ok, I will prove them wrong’. He knew he was going to make mistakes but ultimately would focus on what he’s doing regardless of a missed chance, missed tackle. He would say, ‘This is football and I am just going to get better and better’. Jude shows that. He also shows his frustration at times because he knows he is capable of doing something like that. He’s not been in every game, he’s not been in every moment and for me, but without Jude’s goal, we’re out.”
(C)Getty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTUREBellingham, who has just turned 21, is not the only youngster thriving for England. United midfielder Kobbie Mainoo is doing likewise at the age of 19, with Brown adding on a fellow product of the Red Devils’ famed academy system: “He has come in and he’s done what he does at United. He is very calm, wants the ball anywhere, not afraid to play it forward and get involved and run forward into areas. If you are a United fan, you wanted him in there from the beginning but I think Gareth [Southgate] has seen that performance and gone ‘I’ve got a player’. He’s very comfortable and he’s very different to [Conor] Gallagher in that sense. I think he settled England, he’s got a nice rhythm with [Declan] Rice in there and it’s working better with Kobbie rather than Gallagher.”
England are now readying themselves for a European Championship quarter-final clash with Switzerland. Bellingham – who won La Liga and the Champions League with Real in 2023-24 – will be looking to deliver more moments of magic in Dusseldorf on Saturday.
