Can Bellingham revitalise England and finally take them to the top?
"My goal for the next 12 months with England will be the same for the next 10 to 15 years: to try and win major tournaments," he outlined. The ambition is there, but the reality must follow.
Bellingham returns to the Three Lions' ranks in the October break and wants to help his side reach the top. That starts with victories over Australia this Friday, followed by a Euro 2024 qualifier against Italy. Brimming with determination, the Englishman has faith in the future and in his teammates and is ready to take them to the stars, just as he is doing at Real Madrid.
Creativity at the service of the team
We were already talking about this a year ago. A brilliant player in Qatar, Bellingham has become even more important at club and international level. Essential to Madrid's success with 10 goals in 10 games, and making an impact thanks to his creative genius in midfield, the 20-year-old Englishman is shining. And people are loving it. Not only in Spain, but also, and obviously, among England fans.
Having played some fine games in September in wins against Scotland and Ukraine, he has become the darling of the public, and the one on whom hopes are firmly pinned. Thanks to his different abilities and the full range of his game, England can once again spring creative surprises and move forward.
"On the pitch, I want to be an artist," the player recently explained. And in the end, that may well be what takes England the furthest. Because, even if Bellingham's early-season statistics are mind-boggling, his technical quality and intelligence are even more crucial.
In this respect, he and his teammates have the task of energising the team and driving it forward, beyond what the finishing of Harry Kane or the rapid breakthroughs of Bukayo Saka, Marcus Rashford and Phil Foden provoke.
"There's something about Bellingham. He's a leader. He was captain once, and he'll be an important player for England over the next few years. With his mentality, even though he's young, I think he can inject some of that character into the rest of the team," former England captain Wayne Rooney told talkSPORT.
Chance of winning titles?
Euro 2024 is fast approaching, and in all likelihood, England will be taking part. At the top of their qualifying group, England are six points clear of Italy and have won four of the five matches they have played - a very good ratio, predicting a bright future. All that remains is for everything to go well is for the key players in the squad to stay injury-free and for stars such as Bellingham not to suffer a setback.
"We absolutely have to believe that we can win trophies, because that's the reason we are here and that's the level of the team we have today. In all humility, of course," said the midfielder this week as part of his ambassadorial role in the McDonald's Fun Football campaign. Quarter-finalists at the last World Cup, England were knocked out by France, so they have every reason to come back with a vengeance on the international stage - and in Europe in 2024.
A midfield linchpin, a youngster who gets on well with his entire team, and a crazy player, Bellingham is bound to continue to make sparks fly. But will that be enough to bring titles back to the Three Lions, who have not won anything since 1966? Time and Gareth Southgate's choices will reveal that quite clearly. What is certain, however, is that England already have one of their best resources for the next 15 years.
