Jude Bellingham’s rise to superstardom reaches new heights with European Championship wonder goal

Moments later, Harry Kane headed England to make it 2-1 early in extra time, giving England a comeback win and, for now, putting aside questions about Manager Gareth Southgate’s future. England advanced to a quarter-final against Switzerland on Saturday.

But Bellingham’s goal lifted England out of the doldrums and was the last great moment for a player who had been a star since boyhood. After joining Borussia Dortmund in 2020, he became the team’s youngest goalscorer in his first appearance; he was named German league player of the year in 2022–23. In 2023, he signed for Real Madrid and was top scorer in his first season. Bellingham earned player of the season honors as Real Madrid won La Liga and Champions League titles.

However, his goal against Slovakia on Sunday was a new highlight in his international career. The electrifying action was the icing on the cake of more than three intense minutes of action, leaving English fans in ecstasy.

The goal adds to Bellingham’s impressive resume, which includes four stoppage-time winning goals with Real Madrid. His pre-tournament Adidas campaign featured the slogan “You Got This” — and it proved prophetic, even if it took longer than England fans would have liked. As he celebrated, cameras caught Bellingham appearing to say, “Who else?” And few could argue with that.

“That’s absolutely fantastic. To score goals like that at that moment to keep our dreams alive is one of the best,” Kane, the England captain, told the BBC. “What a player. Kudos to him for being ready at that moment. It wasn’t easy. Scoring goals like that at that moment shows what kind of person he is.”

“It’s crazy, because if that were me, I’d go over the bar!” said England midfielder Declan Rice of Bellingham’s goal. “It was a big moment for a 21-year-old — that takes a lot of guts. People don’t understand what you have to go through to get across the finish line.”

The win also brought a sigh of relief to the embattled Southgate, who faced calls for line-up changes and his sacking earlier in the tournament. They got louder on Sunday before Bellingham performed.

“We thought about taking him off,” said Southgate, “but you know he’s capable of moments like that.”