Rooney hails Bellingham as World Cup's best player so far
Rooney called Jude Bellingham the World Cup’s best player so far as the midfielder’s six goals in six England games kept him within two of the Golden Boot lead.
Wayne Rooney has named Jude Bellingham the best player at the World Cup so far, and the Real Madrid midfielder’s numbers give the verdict weight. Bellingham had scored six goals in six games for England when Rooney spoke, leaving him only two behind Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi in the Golden Boot standings.
Bellingham’s case is built on more than finishing. He became the youngest player to reach 50 England caps after the 0-0 draw with Ghana in Boston on June 24, 2026, doing it at 22 years and 359 days and breaking Rooney’s previous record of 23 years and 159 days. England Football noted that the milestone came just days before his 23rd birthday, while Bellingham’s wider tournament profile had already pushed him into a different tier of English international history.
His defining performance came in England’s 3-2 round-of-16 win over Mexico in Mexico City on July 5, 2026. Bellingham scored twice in 98 seconds, added a key defensive intervention and helped England survive most of the second half with 10 men after Jarell Quansah was sent off. He said it was the best night of his England career so far, a night that carried extra weight at the Azteca Stadium, where England were facing a host nation and where his goals came at the end associated with Diego Maradona’s 1986 Hand of God image.
FIFA said that brace took Bellingham to four World Cup goals at that stage, and he later added another double against Norway in the quarter-finals. By the end of the tournament, FIFA said, he had seven World Cup goals, making him the first midfielder ever to reach six goals at a World Cup finals. FIFA also said Bellingham became the youngest player to reach ten World Cup appearances, at 23 years and 6 days, surpassing Mario Kempes.
The record book only tells part of the story. Bellingham first announced himself on the World Cup stage with England’s opening goal against Iran in Qatar in 2022, then carried that momentum into Euro 2024 with key goals against Serbia and Slovakia. Rooney’s praise reflects a player who is now controlling matches through late runs, decisive finishing, defensive work and authority, giving England more than the system has produced on its own.
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