Jude Bellingham, 23, had the kind of night every footballer dreams of. Two goals, key saves, and the award for best player of the match against Mexico in the 2026 World Cup round of 16. But when he was asked about the refereeing, something that caused a stir during the match, the Englishman did not take the bait.
“I won’t talk about the referee. I want to play against Norway and right now I’m only focused on that”, he said, shutting the door on any controversy. And he added, with respect toward his rival: “Mexico is a very strong team, they played with a lot of heart and it was a real pleasure to face this national team”.
With that performance, the Three Lions’ No. 10 reached 5 direct goal involvements in 5 matches in the tournament and now has 3 MVP awards. Now the focus is on Norway. Can he maintain this level?