"When Brazil 'ignites' Bellingham"
The jeers from Brazil supporters inside Wembley aimed at Jude Bellingham. In recent years, not many English players have been bothered by Brazilian fans, and that shows Bellingham is the one who drew attention this weekend.
Bellingham is not only a target for fans but also regularly fouled by Brazilian players. In his 67 minutes on the field, the Real Madrid star was fouled five times, double that of any other player on either side. He couldn't believe it when Lucas Paqueta escaped a second yellow card for a brutal foul. The West Ham midfielder kept knocking Bellingham down, who somehow continued to play on.Bellingham's appeals to the referee once again fell on deaf ears, and Paqueta took it upon himself to impede the 20-year-old Joao Gomes. Gomes even committed fouls against the Real newcomer in two areas of the field in the first half but went unpunished. Between them, Paqueta and Gomes created 11 fouls at Wembley, mostly targeting England's number 10.
Starting in the highest midfield position, Bellingham at times seemed to pair up with forward Ollie Watkins. However, he was pushed back, exploiting the corridors between Brazil's last two lines. He turned past opponents, delivered passes to teammates, but every time about to eliminate a Brazilian player, Bellingham faced another robust challenge from his own team.
Despite standing out as England's best player, Bellingham appeared disappointed when Gareth Southgate substituted him. His frustration was evident in how the 20-year-old reacted to his yellow card. The former Borussia Dortmund player was booked for a foul on Newcastle United's Bruno Guimaraes, executing a late tackle that caught Guimaraes off guard.
Once again, Bellingham's temper flared, leading to a confrontation with the referee. This image is familiar as the young recruit has shown such hot-headedness with match officials in Real's 2-2 draw with Valencia. He was angered by a late disallowed goal.
The arguments at Wembley weren't as heated, but Bellingham still drew attention for touching the referee. Bellingham struggled to contain himself, and England knows the cost of their stars losing their cool in major tournaments, with Wayne Rooney and David Beckham being prime examples.The hard tackles will "ignite" Bellingham, but looking at it from another perspective, it highlights his value at the current moment. After a short explosive period at Real, Bellingham is now a big name in the football world. Teams are wary of this player and want to create frustration, as long as the young man from England remains silent.
Brazil played aggressively against Bellingham, leading to a valuable lesson for other teams at EURO 2024. The English prodigy is sure to still receive "special" treatment on German soil. That's when Bellingham shows his courage, demonstrating the cool head to overcome all challenges. Bellingham must get used to this because of his value and status at this moment