On the first day of this month, Jude Bellingham’s life looked like the career mode of a video game, in the hands of an expert cyberpunk and with cheat codes fully activated.
England’s midfield sensation had just won the Champions League in his first season at Real Madrid, his performances so transformative for the Spanish side that he was named La Liga player of the year because, oh yeah, Madrid won its domestic championship as well.
Accolades tend to pile up when the world’s best shine, and Bellingham, so the popular soccer-think said, was firmly on track to win the Ballon d’Or, the ultimate individual prize given to the finest player on the planet each year.
He was called the best player in the world by his Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti, by his favorite teammate and close friend — Vinicius Jr. — by pundits in England and elsewhere, and even by some columnist guy for an American publication.
What about now, a few short weeks later? Hmmm.
Could it be that England’s dismal campaign is about to not just infuriate its fan base, but also derail Bellingham’s chances of claiming Ballon d’Or glory and putting himself on a pedestal with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Luka Modric, at just 20 years old?
Gareth Southgate’s team did finish in first place in Group C, but was categorically painful to watch at times, following an uninspired 1-0 win against Serbia and dire draws against Denmark and Slovenia.
Bellingham brought his Madrid form into the opening game and scored the only goal with a forceful header. Since then, his attempts to link up better with Phil Foden have been fruitless, and his own play has suffered. His displays have looked nothing like the intense, all-action, yet highly-controlled showings that were a highlight of his club season.
Whereas previously he seemed immune to the glare of the spotlight, there are some worrying signs.
“The conversations I had with him were about the fact that he now lives in a different world,” Southgate told L’Equipe before the tournament. “I played with David Beckham, who lived in a different world. This world is Jude’s today.”
Given the attention that is afforded to every major international tournament like this one, it is difficult to imagine Bellingham getting the Ballon d’Or award unless things trend upward.
England has been tame, and a soulless exit at the Round of 16 stage is bound to affect how he is perceived and his standing among the modern greats. The best have the ability to lift those around them. Right now, amid a sea of poor performances around him, Bellingham hasn’t been able to stand out.
No one outside the locker room quite knows how England is being asked to lay by Southgate. Frankly, the players themselves often don’t appear to have much of a clue.
“Where the ball goes, (Bellingham) goes,” wrote the Daily Mail’s Ian Ladyman. “It’s as though it has his name on it. That may work in the playground … it doesn’t work on the international stage.”
Southgate was asked whether his selection thinking was becoming a choice of Bellingham or Foden, not Bellingham and Foden. He didn’t entirely address the question, but when his answer consisted mostly of praise for Foden and Bukayo Saka, it made you wonder.
Bellingham is coming off the most exciting, yet tumultuous time of his life. After the Champions League win, there was an epic street party in Madrid. With good looks, otherworldly skill and a truckload of money in the bank, he has swiftly become a genuine megastar, and he didn’t have much choice in the matter.
It is important to remember this is the first time he has come to an international event as the main guy for England. He was just 17 at the last Euros and was used sparingly. He was England’s best player at the World Cup but emerged like a whirlwind, every positive performance seen as a bonus.
It is different now, with essentially the hopes of a nation on his shoulders coming in. No country places external pressure like England, with all that pent-up angst from decades of disappointment and near or not-so-near misses.
Dealing with adversity is part of ascending to greatness. This is the biggest challenge Bellingham has faced. As things stand, it is a roadblock, probably a temporary one.
If he can rewrite the script once the knockout round arrives, the “best in the world” tag will sit even more neatly.
It’s on him now.
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