Jude Bellingham spoke to the media after England’s World Cup win over Croatia (Image: Getty)
Jude Bellingham’s demeanour at the World Cup 2026 has won plaudits from Gary Neville and Ian Wright, with both pundits praising the manner in which he has engaged with the media in recent weeks. It represents a marked departure from Euro 2024, when the Real Madrid star was reluctant to grant interviews, feeling he had been unfairly singled out for England’s premature exit. He explained at the time: “It wasn’t a nice feeling. There were a few things that happened during the tournament. One of the big criticisms of me was that I didn’t speak to the media, I didn’t want to do press conferences.
“That was reported in a way that it made out I was above it, it’s not like that at all. I had some personal things going on, journalists who went to go and see members of my family whilst I was at the tournament, went to visit my grandparents and that’s something I kept to myself. I don’t think that’s fair. That crosses the line of respect. That’s, for me, where I took it a little bit personally and decided I was going to focus on the football and try to let that do the talking instead of talking in the press to people who seemingly don’t respect me. That was a thing for me. Family comes first. My nan didn’t want to leave her house for the whole summer, bless her.”
Bellingham featured in England’s World Cup opener against Croatia and netted the third goal in Wednesday’s 4-2 victory at the Dallas Stadium. While he had previously emphasised that his sole priority was delivering results for the national side, he also faced the media afterwards – something he had been reluctant to do during the Euros.
And Neville and Wright believe there is real significance in that shift. “Personally, it was nice to put some of the noise aside and just show my country and my teammates how committed I am to helping us try to win games,” Bellingham told reporters following the match. “Contributing, helping my team and helping my country are some of the greatest honours, and, regardless of the noise outside, that honour doesn’t change for me at all.”
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By volunteering to conduct the interview, the midfielder won plaudits from Neville and Wright on The Overlap. “If you’re a player who says ‘Yeah, I’ll do the interview’, you’re taking responsibility and standing up,” Neville observed. “What you’re then doing, Jude, you’re the star, you’re the one that to be fair can take it on your shoulders, you’re the guy that’s absolutely unbelievable, you’re a superstar.
“You’re asking one of your teammates to do it instead of you, who’s not as confident as you, who’s not as believed as you, not got as much belief as you. So, when I see Jude come out and speak last night, he exudes confidence. I, as an English fan, broadcaster, think ‘Jude’s speaking’. Do you think the opposition players want to hear from Jude Bellingham, and I’m not going to be disrespectful, or do you think they want to hear from, say, Elliot Anderson or John Stones?”
Jude Bellingham scored during England’s win over Croatia (Image: Getty)
“If you’ve seen Jude today and you’re one of the Ghana players or you’re the players who are playing England down the line… Jude’s speaking. He’s standing up, Declan Rice is speaking, Harry Kane‘s speaking.. It sends a message, not only to your own dressing room that ‘I’ve got the belief, I’ll take the responsibility,’ it sends a message to the other players in the other team that says, ‘the belief he’s got, the confidence’, not just on the pitch. I believe it sends a massive message.”
Wright concurred, adding: “In his interview, because it’s brilliant to see him doing the interviews. He said in the interview, ‘yeah I was left out of a couple of squads’. He was never going to miss the World Cup squad, I don’t even believe the argument should have been happening. That is why I have been on his hill forever, I will die on his hill because he showed why he is who he is.”
Bellingham was handed the starting role ahead of Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers, with Thomas Tuchel insisting he ‘deserved’ to be given the opportunity. The 22 year old experienced a more challenging campaign last term, with his goal contributions dropping considerably compared to the previous season.
However, he emphatically reminded everyone of his quality on Wednesday night. England boss Tuchel said of him afterwards: “A very good player, he deserved to start and that’s what he needs to do to fight for his place to keep his place. That’s what he did and it was good.”
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Neville also believes the ‘argument’ surrounding whether he would play a pivotal role at the World Cup has been firmly settled following his outstanding display. He added: “The argument’s over to be fair, because we have been debating the last 12 months, everyone has been saying ‘Will Jude start? Is he even going to go’ at one point by the way. People were saying at one point ‘will he take him’?”
England will next face Ghana in Group L on Tuesday, 23rd June (9pm), with a second victory set to place them firmly on track for a place in the round of 32.