Jude Bellingham's intelligence on the road from and to Wembley.
Plus flagging concerns and Carlo Ancelotti's uplifting class.
When Jude Bellingham made his England debut at Wembley aged 17, the friendly with the Republic of Ireland was behind closed doors during Covid. He spoke afterwards about his frustration that his parents weren’t able to witness such a special occasion. Bellingham did one interview in a largely deserted national stadium that evening, talking to the Football Association’s in-house content team, and it was while waiting for the crew to set up that England staff became even more impressed with this young Borussia Dortmund player.
Bellingham could have been back in the home dressing-room, celebrating the 3-0 win with team-mates, or on his phone sharing the moment with family and friends. But Bellingham waited patiently for the camera to be ready, chatting politely with a delighted steward. It wasn’t for show, there was only a handful of us in the press box anyway. It was just Bellingham being Bellingham, being the respectful individual his parents raised him to be. Work hard and be nice to people is a good mantra. Bellingham’s that perfect mix of total self-belief without arrogance.