Jude Bellingham has been starring for Real Madrid, but he has also laid out an ambitious “goal” with England for the “next 10-15 years”.
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Midfielder starring for La Liga giantsAlso a key man for his countrySights set on major honoursWHAT HAPPENED?
The 20-year-old midfielder has made a stunning impact at Santiago Bernabeu on the back of his €103 million (£89m/$109m) summer transfer from Borussia Dortmund. With 10 goals recorded for the Blancos through as many appearances, Bellingham is emulating the efforts of Portuguese icon Cristiano Ronaldo.
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England are hoping that impressive club form can be transferred onto the international stage, with Bellingham telling of his long-term targets with the Three Lions: “My goal for the next 12 months with the England team will be the same for the next 10-15 years: try to win major tournaments. I think we can’t shy away from saying that now. We’ve come close in the last few tournaments, and to now go back and say: ‘Ah yeah, that was enjoyable, but now we have to be more realistic’…I don’t see the point. We should use the experiences we’ve got from previous tournaments to push on and bring some silverware home. That’s the common goal that we are striving towards and we aren’t afraid to say that anymore. In the last few years it’s been a case of hiding that expectation, so that we never fail. We’ve got to be willing to say it, so we can achieve it.”
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Bellingham has unshakable faith in his own ability and that of the England team as a whole, with the hottest of prospects adding on a bid to secure international honours: “If you look at the progress we’ve made in the last few tournaments, it’s important that we have that mentality and we do believe we can win the tournament. Of course, there is a sense of humility and having our feet on the ground in whatever game we go into. You’re not going to play seven of the top seven teams every tournament and it’s important that you approach every game like it’s the last game of the tournament. That’s how we approach friendly games and qualifier games – if we don’t get the result we want, you can see how much it hurts us. And when we do, you can see how rewarding it is for the whole squad. There definitely has to be a belief that we can win trophies because that’s what we are here to do and that’s the standard of the team that we’ve now got. In a humble way, of course.”
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Bellingham forms part of the latest England squad that is preparing for a friendly date with Australia on Friday and a Euro 2024 qualifying clash with defending European champions Italy at Wembley on October 17.