“The football’s the easiest part.”
Jude Bellingham
Introduction
England and football are always nervy when they play, and this year’s Euros is no exception. Their opening match against Serbia in Gelsenkirchen was no exception, and expectations ran high for a decisive win to put them on the right footing for this tournament. Millions of England fans tuned in for the BBC coverage, and retailers must have had a bumper day with shirt sales. The game was marred by earlier scuffles between a small number of England and Serbian fans, but on the whole, the atmosphere was amicable. As Gary Lineker and his pundits sat in their Euro studio overlooking the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin and crunched statistics, accompanied by a collage of footage of England’s past football battles, the pressure was on Gareth Southgate as manager to perform. It was a handpicked squad that had a few key players missing.
Goal Pressure
At 20, Jude Bellingham is at his prime. The Arsenal player, born in Stourbridge in 2003, who also plays for Real Madrid, has previously played for Borussia Dortmund and Birmingham City. Signed for a fee of €103 million for Real Madrid in 2023, Jude is nicknamed the ‘Golden Boy’—a player who has previously represented England at under-16, under-17 and under-21 levels. The eldest son of Denise and Mark, his father was a sergeant in the West Midlands Police and a pretty nifty goalscorer in non-league football.
Educated at Priory School in Edgbaston, Birmingham, Jude’s brother Jobe also plays football, and Zinedine Zidane has always inspired Jude. Known for his exceptional ball control and technical quality, this midfielder is driven by defence and attack—a player who does what it says on the tin. Dribble, pass., shoot. Following in the footsteps of Bobby Charlton and David Beckham, Bellingham doesn’t look phased by his mission. Dynamic and focused, he has achieved so much in his short career.
The Poster Boy
Jude’s laser-driven goal after just thirteen minutes in the Serbia match lit up the pitch, pubs and homes. It was a feel-good factor that this country desperately needed at the moment. It is a period when a general election dominates the headlines and wars rage in Ukraine and Gaza. Admittedly, this was the best half of the match, with England moving the ball quickly and outwitting their opposition. They looked dangerous, being fluid. Saka was a real threat, but the squad seemed to suffer in the second half with a change of tactics. Phil Foden on the left was a waste and needed to change in the next game. Other key players to watch out for are Declan Rice and Jordan Pickford. Both players are plenty to write home about. That’s including the hornet that invaded the BBC studio.
Jude will continue to be followed by renditions of The Beatles song ‘Hey Jude’ by England fans, and he will go down as a star of this year’s Euros. Southgate will have time to reflect on this performance and tinker with tactics in time for their next outing against Denmark. An estimated 30 million pints were sunk when England played on Sunday, and future matches will be no exception, with a few work-sick days called as a result. The future is promising on this England Euro journey.
