Staff writer Noah Reddie writes about the experience of England’s starboy, Jude Bellingham, covering his World Cup preformance, the unfair backlash he has recieved and the personal effect the player has had on himself.
Every pub, across the country, was singing his name in celebration throughout the whole tournament. ‘Hey Judeeeee.’ You could hear it rolling out of doorways and spilling onto pavements. A whole nation chanting one man’s name like a hymn. However, others who should have been singing along spent half their week picking that same man apart instead. Jude Bellingham is an absolute superstar. He is England’s best player, and he plays for one of the biggest clubs in the world, Real Madrid. Jude is integral to the success of both his club and his country. So why does Bellingham’s criticism follow him everywhere he goes?
The Doubters, and the Answer He Gave Them
Before anyone even kicked a ball, people were questioning his inclusion in the tournament. Pundits and so-called experts were asking whether he even deserved a starting place for the opening game against Croatia. At the time, this player had never had a clear bad game for England, having rarely put his foot wrong in either of his previous tournaments. This was deeply Ironic considering he would eventually hold the record for England’s top scorer at a World Cup tournament.
Jude answered them the only way he knows how. Straight after half-time, in the 47th minute, he scored the goal that put England 3-2 up. No fuss, no lap of the pitch, just straight back to work. That’s who Jude is. He lets the football do the talking, and the football has never once let him down.
The Scrutiny That Just Won’t Let Up
Despite all of that, the criticism never stops. During the tournament, the Daily Mail Chief Football Reporter consistently dampened his influence within matches and undermined the quality of the goals he scored. Hope is infamous for his rancid article calling for Jude’s omission from the squad altogether. ‘Leave Jude at home’ was the essence of it. Imagine, for a second, if Thomas Tuchel had actually listened to the haters. England, potentially, wouldn’t have made it past the round of 32. Jude is the backbone of this team. He carries the team, and he delivers when it matters most.
The Elephant in the Room
Ultimately, it comes down to two factors: his skin colour and his confidence. Jude understands himself, and he’s never been shy about the way he lives or the way he carries himself. He doesn’t shy away from criticism, which the media hates. He is a confident Black man, and that sadly unsettles people in this country. He can’t be put in a box, and he refuses to shrink himself to make anyone comfortable.
Ian Wright said it best when he addressed exactly this: ‘They can’t control him. He’s Black, and he’s proud.’ He went further, pointing out something that cuts right to the heart of it: England seems perfectly happy to celebrate a humble Black man like N’Golo Kanté, but the moment you get a confident Black player like Paul Pogba or Jude Bellingham, people get frightened, because of the way they carry themselves and how it passes on to everyone around him. Jude’s self-assurance and his ability to know he himself defines his character unsettled the media and his haters. That is the real story here, and it’s one that’s playing out with a Black British footballer who happens to be the most gifted midfielder this country has produced in a generation.
What Being Black in Britain Actually Costs You
This isn’t a new story, either. Being Black in Britain has always meant having to be twice as good as your white counterparts just to be given a fraction of the respect. You aren’t afforded the same luxuries as others to be a polarising figure. We see this in regard to Jack Grealish, another English footballer who enjoys the perks and the lavishness of being a footballer. I can imagine the field day the English media would have if they caught Jude hammered in a rooftop bar at 4:30 pm.
Jude lauded his mother, Denise Bellingham, after the England v Norway game, stating ‘My mum’s been telling me all week to watch my language, watch my tackles, watch my face, watch my emotions.’ His mother, as a black woman, understood the way his personality could be read by people who were only ever looking for a reason to have a go at him. She knew that a mistimed tackle or a flash of frustration is a headline waiting to happen. Jude went on to deliver a sterling performance, scoring both goals and completing the comeback.
Superstars Who Came Before Him
Critics disparaged Gazza and Beckham who were superstars too, and there’s no denying that. However, neither of them was anywhere near as good as Jude is at the same age, not for their clubs, and certainly not for England. No player in English football history has replicated what Jude has already achieved before turning 23. During the Ghana game, Jude Bellingham became the youngest Three Lions player to reach 50 caps. However, he didn’t let that go to his head; instead, he spoke about the team’s performance before himself. It’s clear Jude understands that humility matters for morale in a dressing room.
Before Jude, though, there was another trailblazer worth remembering. Jude is following in the footsteps of great Black English footballing superstars like Laurie Cunningham, the first Englishman to ever play for Real Madrid. Cunningham passed away not so long ago, but his legacy is still being written through players like Jude. The fact that he had the confidence to go and play for Real Madrid during the late 1970s, carrying whatever pressure there may be, is a testament to his character. He became an inspiration to millions of young Black English footballers coming through now, and to the ones who’ve already made it. Jude wearing that same white shirt today, and thriving in it feels like a continuation of a story that started with Cunningham decades ago.
The Armband Question
It does raise several questions about why Jude isn’t the England captain. Every team’s best player wears the armband. Kylian Mbappé captains the French side, Cristiano Ronaldo captains Portugal. Surely, that means Jude Bellingham has to captain England in the next tournament. He’s a natural-born leader; he speaks with more composure and clarity than players almost twice his age, and he’s still only 23.
Watch him on the pitch, and you can see it anyway, armband or not. He’s the one galvanising his teammates when they look tired. He is the one taking responsibility when things go wrong or stagnate instead of pointing fingers. Jude is already captaining this team. The only question is why nobody in charge will make it official. Would this be the case if he had a different skin colour?
How Jude Brought Me Back to England
He’s also the reason I tune into England games at all. After the 2020 Euros, played in 2021 because of Covid, I was so disillusioned with the national team that I vowed never to watch them again. That was after the racist abuse Marcus Rashford, Bukayo Saka, and Jadon Sancho were subjected to after missing penalties in the final. It felt like the country only wanted these players when they were winning, and turned on them the second they weren’t.
But then I caught the France v England quarter-final at the 2022 World Cup, and I watched how Jude spoke about the team afterwards, how gutted he clearly was to be going out at that stage of the tournament, and I was astonished to think this guy is younger than me. He was so eloquent and articulate, so composed in front of the media at an age where most of us would struggle under that kind of pressure. I’ve followed him closely ever since.
I watched his fantastic move to Real Madrid, a transfer he’d fully earned as an outstanding player. I watched him win LaLiga and the Champions League in his very first season there. There aren’t many players who can walk straight into the best team in world football and become the main story immediately. This is a testament to his character and ability as a player and as a person.
Give Him His Flowers
This is exactly why it’s so abhorrent that people could even make a case for leaving him out of the England set-up, or for constantly finding new reasons to criticise him. We have a generational talent who is unapologetically himself off the pitch. Britain should celebrate Black confidence. Every pub all over the country already knows how marvellous a player Jude Bellingham is and how vital he is for the England set-up. It’s time the press and the doubters caught up with the rest of us and gave Jude Bellingham his flowers while he’s still out there making history in front of our eyes.
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