As one of the leaders of England’s golden generation, Declan Rice knows a thing or two about precocious talent.
After all, his best mate, Mason Mount, made his international debut at the age of 20 and Rice has emerged alongside the likes of Phil Foden, who also won his first cap when he was 20 and Bukayo Saka, a teenager when first blooded by Gareth Southgate.
Rice, 23, is also an avid student of the global game, with a voracious appetite for watching football’s up-and-coming world stars. But he has not seen any developing player in the same class as the 19-year-old who delivered a Wembley midfield masterclass on Monday night.
“I don't think I've seen anyone as good as he is for 19,” declared Rice, reflecting on the performance of Jude Bellingham in the 3-3 draw against Germany. “I look at a lot of 19 year-olds, whether it's at a club, around the world, around the country. To have the whole package is a hard thing … and I feel like he's got that.”
With England two goals down, Bellingham picked up possession deep in his own half, ignored safe options and drove past three German adversaries into opposition territory, starting the move that finished with the Luke Shaw goal that ignited a dramatic comeback.
And the physicality, athleticism and incisiveness of that intervention typified Bellingham’s all-round brilliance.
Rice explained: “He's 19 but he's got the body of a 28-year-old - he's a man. He thinks like a man, plays like a man and shows personality and character. I've been around and played so many more games than he has in my career but you can just tell as a 19-year-old what he brings to the team already, the energy he's got.
"He can play in a holding role, he can play as an eight, he can play as a 10.”
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As well as his physical maturity, Bellingham has a confidence, an aggression - even an arrogance - way beyond his years. It has inevitably seen him linked with a move to the Premier League, with Liverpool particularly keen.
Rice went on: “He's a man - you can see it when he plays for Dortmund. As a 19-year-old, you're normally scared to talk to the referee but he's in the referee's face demanding answers, demanding decisions and he leaves himself on the pitch constantly. He really pushes you on the pitch. We push each other on and it's a privilege to play next to him.
"Every time I play with Jude, we're building that connection and I say to him 'you go and bomb on and do your attacking stuff and I'll sit here and defend for you'. So we're getting that good connection, he's great to play with.”
Despite the thrilling fightback against the Germans, England have still gone six games without a win but Rice claims they are still getting to grips with the managers favoured formation.
He explained: “We're sticking with a formation that needs work and we're working on that in training all the time. I feel like there's positive signs there. It's just a blip at the moment but that (the performance against Germany) was a massive, positive step.”
And no-one took a bigger step than Bellingham, surely now an automatic starter against Iran in England’s first game of Qatar 2022.
“Hopefully, he keeps flourishing,” smiled Rice. “He's the future of English football to come for the next 15 years.”
