Bellingham Channels Maradona, Pele as England March On

Jude Bellingham has carried England through the altitude of Mexico City and the searing heat of Miami on what increasingly looks like a personal mission to end a 60-year wait for the World Cup. The World Cup can sometimes turn into one player's destiny, carrying unstoppable momentum toward the sport's greatest prize. Think Diego Maradona with Argentina in 1986. Think Ronaldo's redemption with Brazil in Yokohama in 2002. Think Lionel Messi finally claiming his Holy Grail with Argentina in Doha in 2022. Despite again coming to England's aid with two goals that overcame Norway in the Miami furnace, Bellingham has a long way to go to be bracketed with those iconic figures. Huge barriers remain: Messi and Argentina wait in Atlanta in the semi-final, and then Spain or Kylian Mbappe's France could be the final frontier. Yet Bellingham is threatening to shape this tournament as world-class players sometimes do. He is the first player to score two or more goals in consecutive knockout-stage games at a single World Cup since Maradona in 1986. At 23, he is the second youngest to achieve that feat behind Pele, who did it at 17 in 1958. He wears the famous No. 10 jersey, this time in England white. His personal statistics against Norway were compelling: five shots (most by an England player), most touches in the opposition box (six), most duels won (eight) and most fouls won (four). Bellingham famously said "Who else?" to England fans after his last-gasp overhead kick against Slovakia at Euro 2024. That moment after Thomas Tuchel briefly excluded him from the squad now feels distant. This World Cup has been only an upward curve. Of his 12 England goals, nine have come at major tournaments; five have put England ahead and two were equalisers. Only Gary Lineker in 1986 has scored as many non-penalty goals in a single World Cup (six), and Bellingham has more games to add. Erling Haaland is the only other player at this tournament to score with his left foot, right foot and head — underlining Bellingham's incredible versatility. Those covering their seventh World Cup have seen this before: a player elevating his own performances and his team's to match the pressure of winning the sport's greatest prize. Bellingham is on that path.