“He’s mocking the Champions League.” That’s how BT Sport pundit and former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand described Jude Bellingham’s performance against favourites Manchester City on Wednesday night.
City may have come from behind to reach the final four, but in the first half Bellingham was influential in a midfield surrounded by world-class creators 10 years his senior.
The Englishman, who had a goal unfairly chalked off in the first leg, opened the scoring in the second. He picked up a loose ball on the edge of the box and confidently curled it into the roof of the net.
It made the midfielder, born in 2003, a younger Champions League goalscorer than Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo.
But he is about so much more than goals. As Wednesday night's coverage rounded off, in reference to both Bellingham and Phil Foden, former England midfielder Owen Hargeaves said "the future is so bright for England, I just hope they get picked in the team this summer."
Easy said than done, Owen, but we're with you.
WATCH: Jude Bellingham's stunning opener
❌ Goal harshly disallowed in the first leg
— Sporting Life Football (@SportingLifeFC) April 14, 2021
🕒 Needs just 15 minutes to strike in the second leg
🤯 He's just 17.
🔥 Jude Bellingham opens the scoring for Borussia Dortmund!
👏 #BVB | #BVBMCI | #UCL | #BCFCpic.twitter.com/nAjnsvdLL4
The tie had been billed as a scouting trip for City. A chance to watch number nine Erling Haaland up close.
Haaland played well enough, but it was Bellingham who shone.
For those who have followed his career intently, this shouldn’t be surprised. On 31 August 2019, Birmingham youth product Bellingham became the Sky Bet Championship club’s youngest ever goalscorer, at the age of 16 years and 63 days.
In the summer of 2020, after he finished the 2019/20 season with 44 appearances, he made a €25m move to Bundesliga side Dortmund. Birmingham retired the number 22 shirt in honour of their outgoing player.
It may have been mocked by rival fans at the time, twice League Cup winners Birmingham have existed for 146 years. But Bellingham, who played for just one season at St. Andrews, is the only man to have had his number retired. It shows you just how highly he was rated by the club.
Hey Jude music to Dortmund's ears
If Bellingham was loved in the West Midlands, he’s adored in Dortmund.
He scored his first Bundesliga goal last weekend as the Black and Yellows came from behind to beat Stuttgart to boost their top four hopes.
Bellingham was never supposed to be a starter at this stage of his development. His average minutes per match of 58 shows former Dortmund boss Lucien Favre’s reluctance to overplay him at the start of the season. Caretaker manager Edin Terzić is now in the dugout and Bellingham is undroppable.
He may only have one goal and three assists in 15 league starts but it’s his composure at the beginning of attacking phases where his quality comes to the fore.
The youngster has a pass completion rate of 85% - only 19% of his passes go backwards.
Watch Dortmund this season and their pattern can be - albeit crudely - boiled down to midfielder plays it out wide and winger plays in Haaland.
Bellingham is that first move, a role he performs brilliantly. Rewind the tape and quite often he’ll be the assist before the assist.
Will Bellingham make the England squad?
The teenager made his debut for England team in a friendly against the Republic of Ireland in November. He’s 1/2 with Sky Bet to make Gareth Southgate’s Euro 2020 squad in the summer, better odds than Jack Grealish.
But he is 5/1 to be in Southgate's starting XI for the first game against Croatia at Wembley on June 13.
England have an embarrassment of riches in the centre of the park, which explains those odds, but what he has proved on this two-legged tie is that he will certainly would not be out of his depth in a few months' time.
Midfielders to start England's first game at Euro 2020 (odds via Sky Bet)
- Mason Mount - 1/5
- Declan Rice - 2/7
- Phil Foden - 6/5
- Kalvin Phillips - 5/4
- Jordan Henderson - 11/8
- Jack Grealish - 5/2
- Jesse Lingard - 3/1
- Jude Bellingham - 5/1
And looking at the list of players in front of him in the betting, arguably none have played at such a high level, in such high level competition, in the number 8 role he occupies. Most are either more attacking, more defensive, or don't play Champions League football.
Looking beyond this summer, Wednesday night really did offer reasons to be optimistic as an England supporter.
It was apt that after Bellingham netted the opener, 20-year-old Phil Foden struck the winner.
It's mouthwatering to think where Jude could be in three years' time.
