Is Jude Bellingham too 'American' for England's national team?
It didn't take long for the strangest question to come out of Euro 2024 to hit — met with the equally speedy realization that it's a really interesting one, too.
It basically boils down to this: "Is Jude Bellingham too American for the England national team?"
First things first: As far as we know, Bellingham does not have any familial American roots, so fans of the USMNT can stop any rueful thoughts of a glorious missed opportunity right away.
However, in the wake of England's stuttering campaign that ended with a run all the way to the Euros final before losing to a late Spain winner two Sundays ago, there were some intriguing rumblings to come out of the England camp.
One was that the supposed special treatment Bellingham reportedly received from head coach Gareth Southgate on account of his status as one of the best players in the world — and his phenomenal success with Real Madrid — did not go down well with the rest of the squad.
Another, voiced by The Independent's Miguel Delaney in an article titled "How do England solve their Jude Bellingham problem?" got into the differences in Bellingham's personality compared to his colleagues, namely the relentless drive to be one of the absolute best in the sport, despite having just turned 21.
"It is certainly a very different sort of personality," Delaney wrote. "Euro 2024 saw constant talk that Bellingham is increasingly modeling himself on the image of Michael Jordan in The Last Dance. That's an athlete who demands the best and isn't shy about it.
"It can be abrasive, but the argument is that everyone benefits by going to higher levels. Some camp insiders talk of how this is an ‘American sports' personality that isn't really seen in football, and it does involve backing yourself, to say the least."
It does indeed. Bellingham is a fascinating character in modern soccer, one who has already trodden the kind of lonely path we see from sporting greats, despite his tender years.
What a supreme level of conviction it took to rebuff offers from elite English Premier League teams to head instead to Borussia Dortmund in Germany at the age of 17, believing, correctly as it turned out, that the opportunities he would get there would be greater, and that his technical development would be more pronounced.
England's best moments in UEFA Euro 2024
And then he became the Bundesliga player of the season, then secured a nine-figure move to Madrid, where he scored the decisive goal in two El Clasicos against Barcelona, became arguably more of a superstar in Spain than he is in his homeland, and added the La Liga player of the season award to the league and Champions League titles.
To get to where he has, a streak of pure ruthlessness has been necessary. Bellingham and England captain Harry Kane are friends, and Kane has always been a big supporter. That didn't stop Bellingham from having a word in Kane's ear to try to distract him before a crucial penalty for Bayern Munich against Madrid in the Champions League semifinal.
Bellingham wants to win, no matter the cost. Not everyone likes it.
For followers of American team sports, this might come across as an odd discussion. The major leagues here are so used to alpha personalities and the unabashed pursuit of personal excellence, that it is essentially seen as a prerequisite for all-time greatness, and in no way a negative.
Perhaps the resistance to Bellingham's approach is part of why England's men's team hasn't won anything since 1966.
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Bellingham wasn't at his best at the Euros. He was drained from a long club season that ended less than two weeks before Euros action commenced. The way in which he was used by Southgate was odd, too, the blueprint too often leaving him, Kane, and EPL player of the year Phil Foden treading on each other's toes.
Yet still it was Bellingham who provided the bulk of the key moments.
He scored the game's only goal as England began its campaign by beating Serbia, saved the team from impending elimination with an extraordinary bicycle kick in the round of 16 against Slovakia, was nerveless from the penalty spot in the shootout against Switzerland, and delivered a sublime layoff for Cole Palmer's equalizer in the final.
The Slovakia goal will stick in the mind the most, both for its outrageous degree of technical difficulty, and for the chest-puffing celebration it prompted.
Jude Bellingham & Harry Kane late game heroics
"Who else?" screamed Bellingham after the ball struck the net. It was a fair question. Who else on the England squad would have had the impudence to not only attempt such a move, but to execute it with such perfection?
The "who else" was his version of the discount double-check. It was Travis Kelce's Super Bowl Stanky Leg. Kobe thumping his chest after sinking the Suns.
That, right there, was part of what sets Bellingham apart. He is not afraid to talk about how good he is and how good he plans to become. Not afraid to play up the big moments when they arrive, because he knows there will be more of them.
So then, what of England's Bellingham situation? If unapologetic excellence and ferocious desire aren't quite within the realms of England's national sporting psyche, that's fine.
If anyone considers them a problem, however, surely the problem is theirs.
Martin Rogers is a columnist for FOX Sports. Follow him on Twitter @MRogersFOX.
