Gary Neville says Bellingham’s performances have given him goosebumps and have been “game-changing”, carrying England into the semi-finals “almost single-handedly with the support of Harry Kane”.
The 23-year-old is the top-scoring midfielder at the tournament with six goals; only forwards Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland have scored more.
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Bellingham has been rewriting history all summer.
He’s the youngest European to appear at four men’s major tournaments, the second-youngest player after Pele to score twice in back-to-back World Cup knockout games, and is now level with Alan Shearer among England’s major-tournament greats.
In addition to being England’s joint-top scorer at the tournament alongside Harry Kane, Bellingham ranks top among England players across a raft of attacking metrics.
But the data also underlines his off-ball influence. Bellingham leads England for total available offers for passes, sprints, runs into the attacking third and runs in behind.
And Opta tips England to reach the final. So, Bellingham eliminated Norway – and also Haaland as a Golden Boot rival. Now, along with Kane he is two goals behind Mbappe and Messi, both of whom also remain in the tournament.
Can England produce their greatest sporting achievement since 1966? With Bellingham in this form, England’s 60-year wait suddenly feels a little less impossible.
