Soccer
Bellingham is England's ultimate trump card as World Cup knockout football begins
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England may not have arrived at the 2026 World Cup with their strongest squad of the past decade. Compared with the groups that reached the latter stages of recent major tournaments, there are more obvious weaknesses.
The defence has looked uncertain at times, the midfield has not always dictated matches, and while Harry Kane remains one of the world's finest strikers, at 32 he no longer carries quite the same physical edge.
The group stage reflected those imperfections. England finished top of Group L, but a frustrating stalemate with Ghana and a long struggle to break down Panama showed they are unlikely to overwhelm opponents through collective superiority alone.
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Fortunately, they possess something that often matters even more in tournament football: Jude Bellingham.
The greatest international sides are rarely remembered simply for their tactical systems or squad depth. More often, they are defined by one extraordinary individual capable of deciding the biggest matches.
Diego Maradona did it for Argentina in 1986, Zinedine Zidane for France in 1998, Andres Iniesta for Spain in 2010 and Lionel Messi for Argentina in 2022. England now appear to have a player capable of following that tradition.
Bellingham has already shaped this tournament. His second-half goal swung England's opening win over Croatia, while he later broke Panama's resistance before setting up Kane to secure top spot in the group.
England did not win solely because of him, but in both games he provided the decisive spark when the contest threatened to drift.
That ability stems from the remarkable evolution of his game. At Borussia Dortmund, Bellingham established himself as a complete box-to-box midfielder. Carlo Ancelotti then reinvented him at Real Madrid, pushing him into an advanced role behind Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo, where his late runs into the box produced the most prolific goalscoring season of his career.
Since Kylian Mbappe's arrival, he has taken on greater responsibility deeper in midfield without sacrificing his influence.
That tactical flexibility is invaluable to Thomas Tuchel. Bellingham can help England build play from deep, press aggressively, operate behind Kane or arrive as an extra attacker depending on the demands of the game.
Few players perform so many roles at such a high level.
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England are likely to face another stubborn, well-organised opponent in DR Congo, who will aim to frustrate them before striking on the counter. Those are precisely the kind of knockout matches that are often settled by one defining moment.
England may not be the most complete team left in the competition, but they possess perhaps the tournament's most complete footballer, and one with a habit of turning up when his team need him most. In knockout football, that can be the difference between going home early and lifting the World Cup.
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