Gary Neville has watched England play in five different tournaments as a pundit. None of it, he says, compares to what he saw from Jude Bellingham against Norway.Bellingham scored both goals as England won 2-1 after extra time in Miami to reach the World Cup semi-finals, where Argentina wait in Atlanta on Wednesday. Speaking to Sky Sports News afterwards, Neville said the performance left him with goosebumps and put Bellingham in a different bracket to any England player he has watched live.“He has been absolutely sensational,” Neville said. “Honestly, it gives me goosebumps to watch a performance like that. I don’t think I’ve ever seen an England player have an influence in a tournament like that.“I was with Gazza (Paul Gascoigne) in 1996, I was with Wayne Rooney in 2004, I was with Michael Owen in 1998. I watched those things live and I’ve never seen anything like this. This is absolutely exceptional. It’s at the highest level.”England’s Superstar Now, Not the Next OneBellingham has now scored six goals at this World Cup, driving England through the knockout rounds almost single-handedly at times, in Neville’s telling, with support from Harry Kane. For Neville, the shift in status is no longer up for debate.“This isn’t England’s next superstar. This is England’s superstar right now. This is happening. You’ve got to recognise, this is obviously game-changing,” Neville said.“You’re performing in a World Cup. You scored six goals. You’ve literally been unbelievable, both in attack and defence. You got your team through almost single-handedly with the support of Harry Kane. He’s 23 years of age. It is absolutely monumental what that lad is doing.”Neville even brought his own family into the conversation, pointing to how Bellingham’s performances have reached beyond football supporters who follow the sport closely.“My daughters love football. They’re 16 and 17 years of age. They absolutely adore him. He is a hero. Every kid in England right now is watching this World Cup and they’re thinking they’re Jude Bellingham,” Neville said. “The impact that he is having on young people in our country, on young people around the world in this country that we’re in, in the US, it honestly is magnificent.”Neville said he had spoken with Roy Keane and Ian Wright after the win over Norway, and that the consensus among them went beyond the goals.“I was talking to Roy Keane and Ian Wright after the game last night and they said, right now, if you’re watching football, you’re seeing the best midfield player in the world and that’s not because he’s scoring goals, by the way,” Neville said. “We don’t tend to sort of give flowers too much for the goals. We know we need them but it’s the other bits around it that go to make the complete player that gives him the edge.”The Tuchel ExchangeThe win over Norway was followed by a public disagreement between Bellingham and head coach Thomas Tuchel
Content Source: Yahoo News
Image Credit: Getty Images
All rights to the news content and images belong to their respective copyright owners.