Jude Bellingham showed why is England’s best player in 50 years – with wonderfully un-English winning mentality

WHEN Jude Bellingham rescued England’s Euros run from humiliation with a spectacular overhead-kick, his solemnisation caused a stir.

After that 95th-minute equaliser successful the last-16 clash with Slovakia, Real Madrid’s Brummie was seen yelling: ‘Who else?’

AFP

Jude Bellingham scored an added-time victor for Real Madrid astatine Manchester City[/caption]

AP

Bellingham goaded the City fans with his trademark celebration[/caption]

Getty

Bellingham rescued England’s Euros run with his spectacular injury-time overhead footwear against Slovakia[/caption]

AFP

He besides netted TWO injury-time Clasico winners past season, this 1 astatine the Bernabeu[/caption]

EPA

And this 1 was successful Barcelona past season[/caption]

Did it bespeak arrogance? An over-inflated ego? A tendency for idiosyncratic glory implicit squad success?

Not really. It was astir apt conscionable the instinctive absorption of a subordinate who seizes large moments truthful frequently, that helium simply expects them to happen.

When Bellingham poked location successful the 92nd infinitesimal astatine Manchester City connected Tuesday, it was the sixth clip successful his 75-match Real vocation that helium had netted an injury-time winner.

“Who else?”

Two of those erstwhile efforts arrived successful Bellingham’s archetypal 2 Clasicos against Barcelona – the astir prestigious and ferocious nine fixture connected Earth.

Bellingham had been quiescent successful the archetypal fractional astatine the Etihad. He hadn’t illuminated the spot similar his chap Galacticos – particularly Vinicius Jr, his club’s spurned unofficial ‘winner’ of past year’s Ballon d’Or.

But successful the 2nd fractional his power grew, though helium missed a mates of precise presentable chances.

And erstwhile Vinicius lobbed Ederson successful the dying seconds, it was Bellingham who recovered the slayer interaction which allowed Real to transportation a 3-2 vantage into the 2nd limb of their Champions League play-off.

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Because that’s what Bellingham does.

This time, it was his trademark solemnisation – lasting with his arms outstretched successful beforehand of the seething City faithful. Like Christ the Redeemer peering down implicit Rio.

If determination is an constituent of arrogance astir this then, well, Bellingham has plentifulness to beryllium arrogant about.

Bellingham is England’s champion and astir influential footballer successful much than fractional a century, since Sir Bobby Charlton was successful his pomp.

Paul Scholes, 1 of England’s finest since Charlton, says Bellingham is ‘better than thing we’ve seen’.

And helium is besides rather dissimilar immoderate different English footballer we person known.

He tin often look other-worldy because, contempt the Premier League’s planetary fiscal dominance, the 21-year-old has ne'er played successful England’s apical flight.

Leaving Birmingham arsenic a 16-year-old for Borussia Dortmund past snubbing Liverpool, astir notably, earlier joining Madrid and firing the world’s celebrated nine to the Spanish rubric and their 15th European Cup successful his maiden run arsenic Real’s apical scorer and La Liga’s Player of the Season.

We don’t spot each that overmuch of him, and we perceive adjacent less.

Bellingham seldom speaks to the media. After 40 caps, helium is yet to beryllium interviewed by the written press. During the Euros, a set-piece TV interrogation was abruptly cancelled astatine the past infinitesimal to the disappointment of the FA.

In an epoch of openness and accessibility astir the England camp, Bellingham’s fiercely-protective begetter Mark – who seems perpetually aggravated astatine the satellite his lad inhabits – keeps the 21-year-old wrapped successful fabric wool.

This contributes towards the feeling that, portion Bellingham is admired successful England, helium isn’t loved.

It adds to the thought of detachment, of difference, of ‘otherness’.

Bellingham has inherited immoderate of his father’s anger. That irrational content that the satellite is against him.

Last weekend, he was heard F-bombing a linesman who had failed to grant Real a throw-in during the Madrid derby against Atletico and earlier this play helium called a referee a ‘piece of s***’ during a triumph implicit Espanyol.

While astatine Dortmund, Bellingham was fined for bringing up the match-fixing past of referee Felix Zwayer.

Since joining Real 18 months ago, Bellingham has clocked up 22 yellowish cards for nine and country, arsenic good arsenic 1 reddish for dissent aft the last whistle robbed him of different injury-time victor against Valencia.

This is nary Mr Nice Guy. In truth, winners seldom are.

And past determination is that ultimate self-belief, which seems, alternatively wonderfully, un-English.

England players, adjacent the champion of them, truthful often extremity up arsenic plucky losers.

The thought of heroic nonaccomplishment is simply a nationalist characteristic. But it’s not for Bellingham.

Bellingham keeps connected winning games successful injury-time.

He was wide perceived to person suffered a disappointing Euros past summer.

And yet helium dominated the archetypal fractional of England’s tourney opener against Serbia, scoring the lone goal, helium saved the summertime with that bonzer leveller against Slovakia and helium assisted Cole Palmer’s equaliser successful the last decision by Spain.

This contempt being shunted retired to the near helping for overmuch of the run to accommodate Phil Foden, who has ne'er seized the momentum and turned planetary matches successful England’s favour arsenic Bellingham has often done.

There were mutterings astir Bellingham’s character. Suggestions helium didn’t acceptable into Gareth Southgate’s squad ethos.

And yet adjacent successful that tournament, with Bellingham physically and mentally drained aft an all-conquering run successful Spain, helium was capable to crook large occasions to his will.

For Real past season, contempt nary erstwhile acquisition successful the role, helium played overmuch of the run arsenic a ‘false nine’.

Since the accomplishment of Kylian Mbappe, helium has reverted to his preferred midfield relation and yet erstwhile Real needed an injury-time victor astatine the Etihad, who was successful the close spot astatine the close time?

Bellingham, who else?