Data analysis: Why Bellingham has attracted the world's biggest clubs
England shot at the opponent's goal a total of thirteen times, ten times from the area inside the penalty area and conceded five shots in the same area themselves. Along with France, they were the only team to score from set-pieces and we'd be surprised if that was the last such goal in the tournament.
Who knows, maybe Jude Bellingham will score from it as well, who opened the Three Lions' scoring in the 34th minute with a precise header from Luke Shaw's cross.
That goal had a certain symbolism. If only for the reason that the Borussia Dortmund player belongs with Jamal Musiala, Pedri, Gavi, Aurélien Tchouaméni or maybe Rafael Leão among the most notable youngsters at the World Cup. And the data clearly shows why Real Madrid and Liverpool are reportedly vying for his services.
Bellingham has played 5,636 minutes in his Bundesliga career thus far, almost exclusively in midfield - 3,094 as an eight and 1,879 as a defensive midfielder. His range of skills across both positions is unprecedented. Not only can he defend well, but he can also overcome a large area of the field himself, drive the ball into a more dangerous area and then create a chance for a teammate or get to the finish line himself.
In addition, at just 19 years of age, he is strong in tackles and reads the game well, skills that will continue to improve as he gets older. In short, the fuss about Jude is completely justified.
In the Bundesliga, he has no competition, especially in his ability to overcome space with his runs and dribbling. At 11Hacks, we can calculate this using the advanced goal probability added (GPA+) metric, which tells how a player's touches with the ball increase his team's chance of scoring a goal. If Bellingham runs the ball in the final third of the field, his GPA+ index climbs to 5.7, which is incomparably better than other players at his position.
Marcel Eggestein from Freiburg comes in at 3.3 and Leon Goretzka from Bayern at 2.8. Although Goretzka is the most beneficial player in the league if we move towards the back and look at the ability to move the ball from the defensive third and the middle of the field, even here Bellingham ranks among the best, specifically in second place. During the match, he collects the highest number of one-on-one dribbles, but he prefers to create space for his next action by moving the ball to the side.
Once he reaches the final third with his excellent movement, he always knows what to do with the ball. In the model of expected goals (how high-quality shooting opportunities he himself gets) and expected assists (how high-quality shots he prepares for his teammates), he is once again among the top in his position.
I hope you'll forgive us if we continue this undisguised ode to Bellingham a little longer. There is still his defensive abilities left.
He gets an average of 3.81 balls per game by being active against a teammate, more than 85% of other players in his position. Additionally, if he steps up against a player, he wins the ball 91% of the time. That is, nine times out of ten attempts. No one in the Bundesliga has the same success rate as him. If opponents try to loop around him, they manage to do so an average of just 0.88 times per game - again the best performance among central midfielders.
If England's team does well in the tournament and Bellingham approaches his club standard, a place in the ideal XI of the tournament is unlikely to pass him by.
