Bayern’s Harry Kane, third from left bottom, scores his side’s second goal during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Bayern Munich and Bodo Glimt in Munich, Germany on September 10, 2026
| Photo Credit: AP

England’s Harry Kane reacts during the presentation after the World Cup third-place playoff soccer match between France and England in Miami Gardens, Florida., on July 18, 2026.
| Photo Credit: AP

England had its back against the wall.

Norway had taken the lead through Andreas Schjelderup, and the humidity rolling in from the Atlantic had drained Thomas Tuchel’s side of its usual fluency. Erling Haaland, Martin Odegaard and Alexander Sorloth were turning every transition into danger, and England looked unusually uncertain.

Then the ball came to Jude Bellingham.

There will always be debate over the television camera cable that FIFA insists did not interfere with play. History rarely lingers over such details. It remembers who seized the moment. As half-time approached, Bellingham met Anthony Gordon’s pass with the certainty that has come to define his World Cup, dragging England back into a quarterfinal that had begun to slip away.

And then came the celebration. Not towards the bench. Not into a pile of teammates.

He sprinted towards the centre circle, leaped into the Miami night, clenched his raised fist, and roared into the stadium. For a brief moment, it was just him and the England supporters who were already singing Hey Jude, each acknowledging what the other had slowly realised over the past month.

England had found its player. When England drifted again as the game moved into extra-time and Norway sensed another opportunity, it was Bellingham who reacted first to Orjan Nyland’s spill, stabbing home the winner. He had already scored twice in the hostile atmosphere of England’s round-of-16 victory over Mexico.

Four decisive knockout goals in a single World Cup have done more than propel England into the semifinals. They have elevated Bellingham from England’s brightest young footballer into the player the nation now turns towards in difficult moments.

But sporting heroes are never created just by numbers. Statistics earn admiration, but shared moments create affection.

Roger Federer did not become synonymous with Wimbledon simply because he has lifted eight trophies at the All England Club. He became part of the tournament’s soul because generations of spectators came to feel that English summers were somehow incomplete without watching him walk onto Centre Court.

Sachin Tendulkar’s greatness is in his runs, but his place in Indian life was built because millions unknowingly measured chapters of their own lives alongside his career. The greatest sporting icons stop being merely athletes and become our companions.

England may be witnessing the beginning of that relationship with Bellingham.

The soundtrack has followed him throughout this World Cup. ‘Hey Jude’ begins with a handful of supporters before swelling into tens of thousands of voices. By the final refrain, Bellingham almost always turns towards them, raising his arms, smiling and sometimes singing along. It is one of those rare moments when football briefly stops feeling transactional. The chants are no longer celebrating goals and victories. They are celebrating belonging.

At 23, he has become the emotional centre of this England side. Harry Kane remains the captain. Declan Rice continues to provide balance. Yet when England needs someone to alter the course and mood of a match, teammates and supporters look towards Bellingham.

His rise has been remarkably swift. Raised in Stourbridge, Bellingham grew up under the influence of his father, Mark, a prolific non-league striker who balanced football with a career as a police officer. Discipline accompanied talent. Birmingham City handed him his debut at 16 before retiring his No. 22 shirt when he left for Borussia Dortmund, a decision mocked in some quarters but one that now appears prophetic.

Germany accelerated his education. After three seasons and a Bundesliga Player of the Season award, he moved to Real Madrid for a fee that could rise close to £100 million. Madrid immersed him in an environment where pressure is permanent and excellence assumed, but he has thrived in a cauldron that has consumed many gifted players before him.

This World Cup has revealed how naturally he inhabits responsibility. He wants the ball when others hesitate. Every challenge matters to him. Every goal is celebrated with the emotional honesty of someone who understands what the occasion demands.

That confidence was evident after the final whistle in Miami.

Tuchel initially described England’s performance as “sloppy” and admitted his side had been fortunate, later clarifying that while he loved his players’ resilience and refusal to lose, he expected much higher standards from them.

But it was Bellingham, rather than one of the team’s senior members, who politely disagreed.

“Maybe he doesn’t know what it’s like to play in these types of conditions against Haaland, Odegaard, Antonio Nusa and Sorloth,” he said. “You’re not going to win every game popping the ball and making a thousand passes. Sometimes you have to win dirty.”

There was no rebellion in his words, merely perspective. Tuchel spoke as the perfectionist coach searching for better football. Bellingham spoke as the player who had dragged England through 120 draining minutes and understood that World Cups are often survived before they are mastered.

Perhaps that, too, is part of becoming a sporting hero.

Not simply producing brilliance but persuading everyone around you that when the moment arrives, you will somehow find a way.

As Hey Jude echoed around another American stadium and Bellingham turned once more towards the supporters singing his name, it became clear that England had found more than the player carrying it through this World Cup.

It had started falling in love with the footballer who may define its next decade.

Published – July 14, 2026 09:47 pm IST

England had its back against the wall.

Norway had taken the lead through Andreas Schjelderup, and the humidity rolling in from the Atlantic had drained Thomas Tuchel’s side of its usual fluency. Erling Haaland, Martin Odegaard and Alexander Sorloth were turning every transition into danger, and England looked unusually uncertain.

Then the ball came to Jude Bellingham.

There will always be debate over the television camera cable that FIFA insists did not interfere with play. History rarely lingers over such details. It remembers who seized the moment. As half-time approached, Bellingham met Anthony Gordon’s pass with the certainty that has come to define his World Cup, dragging England back into a quarterfinal that had begun to slip away.

And then came the celebration. Not towards the bench. Not into a pile of teammates.

He sprinted towards the centre circle, leaped into the Miami night, clenched his raised fist, and roared into the stadium. For a brief moment, it was just him and the England supporters who were already singing Hey Jude, each acknowledging what the other had slowly realised over the past month.

England had found its player. When England drifted again as the game moved into extra-time and Norway sensed another opportunity, it was Bellingham who reacted first to Orjan Nyland’s spill, stabbing home the winner. He had already scored twice in the hostile atmosphere of England’s round-of-16 victory over Mexico.

Four decisive knockout goals in a single World Cup have done more than propel England into the semifinals. They have elevated Bellingham from England’s brightest young footballer into the player the nation now turns towards in difficult moments.

But sporting heroes are never created just by numbers. Statistics earn admiration, but shared moments create affection.

Roger Federer did not become synonymous with Wimbledon simply because he has lifted eight trophies at the All England Club. He became part of the tournament’s soul because generations of spectators came to feel that English summers were somehow incomplete without watching him walk onto Centre Court.

Sachin Tendulkar’s greatness is in his runs, but his place in Indian life was built because millions unknowingly measured chapters of their own lives alongside his career. The greatest sporting icons stop being merely athletes and become our companions.

England may be witnessing the beginning of that relationship with Bellingham.

The soundtrack has followed him throughout this World Cup. ‘Hey Jude’ begins with a handful of supporters before swelling into tens of thousands of voices. By the final refrain, Bellingham almost always turns towards them, raising his arms, smiling and sometimes singing along. It is one of those rare moments when football briefly stops feeling transactional. The chants are no longer celebrating goals and victories. They are celebrating belonging.

At 23, he has become the emotional centre of this England side. Harry Kane remains the captain. Declan Rice continues to provide balance. Yet when England needs someone to alter the course and mood of a match, teammates and supporters look towards Bellingham.

His rise has been remarkably swift. Raised in Stourbridge, Bellingham grew up under the influence of his father, Mark, a prolific non-league striker who balanced football with a career as a police officer. Discipline accompanied talent. Birmingham City handed him his debut at 16 before retiring his No. 22 shirt when he left for Borussia Dortmund, a decision mocked in some quarters but one that now appears prophetic.

Germany accelerated his education. After three seasons and a Bundesliga Player of the Season award, he moved to Real Madrid for a fee that could rise close to £100 million. Madrid immersed him in an environment where pressure is permanent and excellence assumed, but he has thrived in a cauldron that has consumed many gifted players before him.

This World Cup has revealed how naturally he inhabits responsibility. He wants the ball when others hesitate. Every challenge matters to him. Every goal is celebrated with the emotional honesty of someone who understands what the occasion demands.

That confidence was evident after the final whistle in Miami.

Tuchel initially described England’s performance as “sloppy” and admitted his side had been fortunate, later clarifying that while he loved his players’ resilience and refusal to lose, he expected much higher standards from them.

But it was Bellingham, rather than one of the team’s senior members, who politely disagreed.

“Maybe he doesn’t know what it’s like to play in these types of conditions against Haaland, Odegaard, Antonio Nusa and Sorloth,” he said. “You’re not going to win every game popping the ball and making a thousand passes. Sometimes you have to win dirty.”

There was no rebellion in his words, merely perspective. Tuchel spoke as the perfectionist coach searching for better football. Bellingham spoke as the player who had dragged England through 120 draining minutes and understood that World Cups are often survived before they are mastered.

Perhaps that, too, is part of becoming a sporting hero.

Not simply producing brilliance but persuading everyone around you that when the moment arrives, you will somehow find a way.

As Hey Jude echoed around another American stadium and Bellingham turned once more towards the supporters singing his name, it became clear that England had found more than the player carrying it through this World Cup.

It had started falling in love with the footballer who may define its next decade.

Published – July 14, 2026 09:47 pm IST

Lionel Messi during the FIFA World Cup 2026 quarterfinal match between Argentina and Switzerland at Kansas City Stadium
| Photo Credit: Getty Images via AFP

Haaland heads into the encounter on the back of a match-winning brace against Brazil.
| Photo Credit: AP

Mexico players have fun during a training session.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Lamine Yamal of Spain celebrates with his winners medal and ‘Best Young Player’ award after victory over England in the UEFA EURO 2024 final match at Olympiastadion on July 14, 2024 in Berlin, Germany.
| Photo Credit: Getty Images

Spain’s teenage phenom Lamine Yamal won the European Championship and the tournament’s best young player award just a day after he turned 17. Yamal earned it mostly while he was still 16, but he crowned his contribution to Spain’s success by setting up Nico Williams’ opening goal in a 2-1 win over England in the final on July 14, 2024.

“This is the best (birthday) gift I could have asked for. It’s a dream come true,” Yamal said. “It got tough when they tied the score, but I don’t know what this team is made of because we always fight back.”

Yamal became the youngest player to appear at the European Championship, the youngest to score in the tournament, and the youngest to play in a final. He finished with four assists and one goal in his debut European Championship.

Yamal plays for Barcelona, following in the footsteps of his idol, Lionel Messi, after coming through the club’s famed La Masia training academy. He’s also the youngest goalscorer in the Spanish league.

Harry Kane and Dani Olmo end in a 6-way tie for Golden Boot top scorer

England striker Harry Kane finished Euro 2024 in a six-way tie for the Golden Boot top scorer as his team lost the final. It was another individual accolade for a player yet to win a major trophy for club or country.

Kane ended the tournament tied on three goals with Spain midfielder Dani Olmo, Germany midfielder Jamal Musiala, Netherlands forward Cody Gakpo, Slovakia winger Ivan Schranz and Georgia striker Georges Mikautadze.

Kane has now been a runner-up in back-to-back European Championship finals after England’s loss to Italy three years ago, and a runner-up in one Champions League final and two English League Cups. He’s won a string of individual awards, including Bundesliga top scorer last season at Bayern Munich, but the German club had its first season without a trophy since 2012.

Kane is one of four men’s players to have been top scorer at both a European Championship and a World Cup, something he achieved in 2018.

UEFA allowed multiple players to share the Euro 2024 top scorer award if they scored the same number of goals, in a change from recent tournaments. At the last men’s European Championship, Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo and Czech striker Patrik Schick both had five goals but Ronaldo was named the winner because he had an assist and Schick had none.

Southgate to discuss England future after Euro final defeat

England coach Gareth Southgate said he would discuss his future in charge of the national team after Sunday’s defeat left him once again trying to work out why glory had eluded his side.

England lost in the tournament’s showpiece match for the second time in a row under Southgate after substitute Mikel Oyarzabal scored an 86th-minute goal to give Spain victory.

Asked whether he would continue in the job, Southgate told reporters: “I totally understand the question and understand you need to ask it, but I need to have those conversations with important people behind the scenes and I’m obviously not going to discuss that publicly first.

“Without a doubt, England have got some fabulous young players,” he added. “We have now been consistently back in the matches that matter. It’s the last step that we haven’t been able to do.”

England – with only the 1966 World Cup to their name as a major trophy – have become a force in tournaments since Southgate took over the team at a low ebb in 2016. They reached a semi-final and a quarter-final at the last two World Cups as well as the final of Euro 2020 — when they lost to Italy on penalties — and 2024.

“It’s hard to reflect so soon after a defeat like this,” Southgate said when asked if he would be in charge of England for the 2026 World Cup. “Of course, to take England to two finals has never been done but we came here to win and we haven’t been able to do that.”

England’s Jude Bellingham and Declan Rice celebrate after the match.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

England escaped an embarrassing last-16 exit at Euro 2024 thanks to Jude Bellingham’s overhead kick before Harry Kane struck in extra-time to grab a 2-1 win over Slovakia on Sunday.

The Three Lions have been hyped as one of the favourites as they bid to end a 58-year wait for major tournament glory but looked set to go out with a whimper to Ivan Schranz’s 25th minute goal.

However, Bellingham’s moment of inspiration five minutes into six added on in stoppage time breathed new life into Gareth Southgate’s reign as England boss.

Kane then headed in just a minute into extra-time to set up a quarter-final meeting with Switzerland on Saturday.

“That’s the desire and the attitude from the boys. It looked tough for a second there but you keep going,” said Kane. “Jude does what Jude does and what an unbelievable goal.”

Southgate looked set to fall on his sword after steadfastly refusing to make changes to a side that stumbled through as winners of Group C despite scoring just two goals in three games.

Kobbie Mainoo was introduced for his first competitive start in Southgate’s only change and he paid the price with another lacklustre display lacking in any speed or invention for long spells.

“We want to be better,” said Southgate. “I’m not going to hide from that but the spirit and character was there for everybody to see and we’re still in there fighting.”

The one saving grace of England’s performances in the group stage was that a makeshift defence had held up well, conceding just once in three games.

However, they were torn to pieces early on by a Slovakia side ranked 45th in the world.

England did not heed a couple of warnings as David Hancko and Lukas Haraslin were wasteful with big chances.

Slovakia finally punished their more illustrious opponents when David Strelec was given acres of room to turn and play in Schranz, who confidently stroked past Jordan Pickford for his third goal of the tournament.

The half-time whistle was met with a chorus of boos but Southgate still stuck to his guns and did not make a change until 25 minutes to go.

England did at least improve on a dismal first half and had the ball in the net within five minutes of the restart.

Phil Foden turned in Kieran Trippier’s cross but was caught offside after a VAR review.

– Kane seals victory –

Slovakia should have doubled their lead shortly afterwards when England gave away possession and Strelec saw Pickford well off his line but failed to hit the target from the halfway line.

Southgate’s hand was finally forced on 66 minutes by an injury to Trippier.

But England still struggled to create and looked down and out when Kane headed wide a golden opportunity and Declan Rice smashed the post with a long-range pot shot.

Southgate was even derided by the England support for bringing on Ivan Toney deep into stoppage time with chants of “you don’t know what you’re doing.”

However, there was an incredible twist as Bellingham acrobatically turned home Guehi’s flick-on from a throw-in the final moments of added-on time.

“It’s a feeling that is like no other,” said Bellingham.

“You’re 30 seconds from going home and having to listen to all the rubbish and feeling like you’ve let a nation of people down. In 30 seconds or one kick of the ball everything can change.”

Slovakia were suddenly rattled and Toney was to have a telling contribution.

The Brentford striker headed Eberechi Eze’s mishit shot back across goal for Kane to power home his second goal of the tournament.

Slovakia should still have taken the game to penalties when full-back Peter Pekarik failed to turn in a dangerous driven cross from point-blank range.

But England live to fight another day come the quarter-final against an impressive Switzerland, who comfortably knocked out holders Italy 2-0 on Saturday.