Bellingham and the "Stay Away from School" Order

In the sweltering Azteca Stadium, Jude Bellingham was completely spent. Drenched in sweat and utterly exhausted, England’s soccer hero looked, after the memorable 3-2 victory over co-host Mexico, like someone from whom nothing more could be expected physically in this World Cup. But the truth is: England and coach Thomas Tuchel will need three more world-class performances from the 23-year-old before they can claim the ultimate title.

Over the past few weeks in the U.S., Bellingham has emerged as Tuchel’s most important player. And with his two goals in 98 seconds, he silenced the legendary stadium in Mexico City in no time at all. “Kids, stay home from school; parents, don’t go to work,” Bellingham called out to his compatriots back home.

Praise from Former Captain Rooney

Quite a few people considered England’s dramatic victory at Azteca to be the country’s greatest World Cup achievement since its first and only triumph in 1966. But to celebrate a second World Cup title, they’ll have to defeat co-favorite Norway—led by superstar striker Erling Haaland and his euphoric teammates—on Saturday (11:00 p.m. Swiss time) in Miami.

The Three Lions believe they can successfully navigate the grueling path—past Norway, a potential semifinal against world champion Argentina led by Lionel Messi or the tough Swiss, and the final against France or Spain/Belgium—all the way to the very end. “The 3-2 win showed that we have a team capable of winning the World Cup. The confidence this match will give the players is enormous,” former captain Wayne Rooney told the BBC.

And the crucial piece of the puzzle doesn’t seem to be King Kane, who, as a center forward and reliable goal-scorer, always delivers anyway. Rather, it’s Bellingham, for whom—just four weeks ago—there was actually still an open debate over whether he or Morgan Rogers should be in Tuchel’s starting lineup. Anyone who seriously asked that question ahead of England’s match against Haaland’s Brazil-beating team would immediately be declared completely clueless.

A mainstay on Tuchel's team

The midfield Tuchel has put together is well-coordinated. Defensive midfielder Declan Rice and his partner Elliot Anderson are solid and consistent, while on the wings, the hard-working Anthony Gordon and the speedy Bukayo Saka have clearly prevailed against stiff competition. And the focal point of all the team’s strategies is Bellingham, who played the full 90 minutes in the tricky knockout matches against the Democratic Republic of the Congo (2–1) and Mexico.

“If we all just play freestyle, no one knows what the others are thinking. When we play in set formations, I feel like we understand each other better and better—and Jude is part of that; because it’s not just about the formation itself, but about the quality within that formation,” Tuchel said.

Reunion with Haaland

Even at Euro 2024, Bellingham was the man for the big moments: Had he not scored a last-minute bicycle kick against Slovakia in Gelsenkirchen, the tournament would have ended after the round of 16—rather than two weeks later in the thrilling final against defending champion Spain, which England lost 1–2.

Bellingham is also expecting a tough challenge against Norway. In the center of midfield, he’ll be up against, among others, Arsenal’s playmaker Martin Ödegaard. And leading the Scandinavians’ attack is a certain Erling Haaland, who played alongside Bellingham in Dortmund when they were younger.

You might also be interested in this