SOCCER
Jude Bellingham targets international success with England
The Real Madrid midfielder has outlined his 15-year target with the English national team.
Jude Bellingham is heading off to represent England in the Nations League after an astonishing start to life with Real Madrid.
The 20-year-old midfielder has immediately become a key player for Los Blancos and has registered ten goals in his first ten games for the club. Bellingham is also at the heartbeat of the England national team and will be called upon for games against Australia and Italy.
Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti recently paid tribute to Bellingham’s incredible maturity and confidence for such a young player. In an interview with The Mirror, Bellingham said that England should not be afraid to target titles in the coming years.
“My goal for the next 12 months with the England team will be the same for the next 10-15 years: try to win major tournaments,” he explained.
“I think we can’t shy away from saying that now. We’ve come close in the last few tournaments, and to now go back and say: ‘Ah yeah, that was enjoyable, but now we have to be more realistic’...I don’t see the point. We should use the experiences we’ve got from previous tournaments to push on and bring some silverware home.”
England reached the final of the European Championships in 2021 but were beaten by next week’s opponents, Italy. In the 2022 World Cup they impressed but fell to a narrow quarter-final defeat against reigning champions France.
Bellingham says England “aren’t afraid” to target trophies
English soccer has wrestled with the ghosts of the 1966 World Cup, the only time that England won a major international tournament, for decades. The 2021 loss to Italy was the first time that the men’s side had reached a final in 55 years and recent tournament performances have illustrated the team’s progression.
Bellingham made history as the youngest player to feature in the European Championships when he made his debut, just weeks after his 17th birthday, at the tournament in 2021. He is a part of an England squad that ranks among the most talented in international soccer and is expected to compete for next year’s European Championships.
“That’s the common goal that we are striving towards and we aren’t afraid to say that anymore,” Bellingham explained. “In the last few years it’s been a case of hiding that expectation, so that we never fail. We’ve got to be willing to say it, so we can achieve it.”
“If you look at the progress we’ve made in the last few tournaments, it’s important that we have that mentality and we do believe we can win the tournament.”