Bellingham’s England role is shifting from star turn to leader

Jude Bellingham is increasingly being framed as one of England’s leaders after a World Cup run in which he has scored four times in five matches and delivered key moments at both ends of the pitch.

The Guardian’s feature highlights his last-16 performance against Mexico at the Estadio Azteca as a turning point in that perception: two goals, a major defensive intervention to deny César Montes, and the sense of a player embracing the pressure around him rather than shrinking from it.

That matters because Bellingham’s England story has not always been straightforward. The same piece points back to Euro 2024, when he produced headline moments against Serbia and Slovakia but also drew scrutiny for frustration and inconsistency. The current tournament picture is presented as more complete: not just a match-winner, but a player making tackles, driving attacks and influencing teammates.

For editors, the strongest angle is not that Bellingham has suddenly changed personality, but that England appear to be finding better ways to use his intensity. With Thomas Tuchel now treating him as a clear No 10, the debate is whether Bellingham’s force of personality can become a long-term advantage for the team rather than a source of tension.