It may not've been Jude Bellingham 's brightest night in an England shirt, but Gareth Southgate only needs to look at one moment to remember just what a star he has on his hands.
As the Three Lions saw their World Cup dream ended by holders France in a narrow 2-1 defeat on Saturday, Harry Kane 's late penalty miss will be etched into fans' minds for years to come. But in the seconds after the England captain stunningly blazed his effort over the bar, what Bellingham did spoke volumes.
The 19-year-old, despite his tender age and playing regularly at an international tournament for the first time, saw how devastated Kane was and raced towards his teammate in an effort to rally him for the closing stages of the quarter-final. Although the Three Lions were unable to find a late goal and take the game to extra-time, Bellingham's show of maturity serves as an obvious silver lining for Southgate.
Demonstrating leadership beyond his years throughout England's ultimately disappointing campaign in Qatar, the Borussia Dortmund midfielder is a strong contender to be named as the Three Lions' best player for both the World Cup and their rollercoaster 2022. Not even three years on from leaving boyhood club Birmingham City for the German giants, Bellingham is already a vice-captain at Dortmund with 112 appearances under his belt.
Now crucial for club and country, and with European heavyweights chasing him for a reported £130million, Southgate can be safe in the knowledge that his status as an England star is secure - so long as he keeps up his immense performances. Just as he's done after the high points his nation's World Cup campaign, Bellingham boldly fronted up to the media during the Three Lions biggest low.
"In my opinion we were the better team on the day. I think we definitely deserved extra-time," the Stourbridge-born starlet told ITV after Saturday's loss to France. "Obviously Harry was really unlucky with the penalty, he's scored tons for us in the past. Sometimes that's how it goes in football and we've got to look ahead but take the lessons that we've learned from today and move forward."
Bellingham's manager echoed his sentiment, with Southgate believing that his side deserved better than losing the contest inside 90 minutes. "Goals are decisive but I just said to the players in there I don’t think they could give any more," the 52-year-old added.
"I think they played really well against a top team and it's fine margins, things at both ends that have ended up deciding the game, but I think the way they've progressed throughout this tournament has been fantastic."
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After Southgate confirmed that he'll consider his future as England manager over the coming weeks, Bellingham made it clear that he certainly hopes the man who's handed him all 21 of his senior international caps stays in the Wembley hot seat.
"I can't thank him enough for what he's done for me," the talented teenager affirmed.
"I've only got good words and respect for the manager. It's not really any of my business [to predict whether or not Southgate will stay] - no disrespect to the question - I feel like whatever decision he makes, we as a nation have got to respect it for the things that he's done for us."
