Jude Bellingham

Jude Bellingham scored twice in 98 seconds against Mexico on 5 July, then struck twice more, including a 93rd-minute winner, as England beat Norway 2-1 after extra time in the quarter-final on 11 July. England's run ended in the semi-final, beaten 2-1 by Argentina in Atlanta on 15 July after Lautaro Martinez headed a stoppage-time winner from a Messi cross. Footage that surfaced on 15-16 July appears to show Bellingham striking Argentina's Valentin Barco on the back of the head after the final whistle, opening the possibility of retrospective FIFA action before England's third-place playoff against France in Miami on 18 July.

Born 29 June 2003 in Stourbridge, Bellingham joined Real Madrid from Borussia Dortmund in summer 2023 for a fee of approximately €103 million. He was an instant success at the Bernabeu, scoring pivotal Champions League goals and forming a productive partnership with Mbappe after the Frenchman arrived in 2024. He plays as a box-to-box midfielder with a goal-scoring instinct unusual for the role.

Bellingham played in the third-place playoff against France in Miami on 18 July, scoring England's sixth goal in the 98th minute of a 6-4 win, the highest-scoring bronze final in World Cup history. The goal made him the first England player to score seven goals at a single World Cup. The FIFA review into the Barco footage produced neither a charge nor a closure by the tournament's end.

Bellingham finished the tournament as one of its defining individual performers, with seven goals in four matches, the most by an England player at a single World Cup. The Barco disciplinary file remained open when the World Cup closed, having produced neither a charge nor a resolution.