Bellingham breaks England’s World Cup goals record

Jude Bellingham became England’s highest-scoring player in a single FIFA World Cup after netting his seventh goal of the tournament in the closing moments of a thrilling 6-4 victory over France in the third-place play-off here at Miami Stadium on Saturday.

The Real Madrid midfielder surpassed the previous England World Cup record of six goals, jointly held by Gary Lineker, who achieved the feat at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, and captain Harry Kane, who scored six goals at Russia 2018 and matched the tally during the 2026 tournament.

Introduced in the 79th minute, Bellingham made an immediate impact by scoring with virtually the last kick of the match.

The 23-year-old launched a swift counter-attack from the halfway line, surged into the France penalty area, beat a defender with composure and calmly slotted the ball into the bottom corner to complete England’s remarkable victory.

Earlier in the second half, Bellingham appeared set to take a penalty after England were awarded a spot-kick. Instead, he handed responsibility to Bukayo Saka, allowing the Arsenal forward to complete his hat-trick.

Saka later revealed that the decision had always been supported by his team-mate.

“No, Jude [Bellingham] was never taking it. He was the first one to say go and get your hat-trick, so none of them came to distract me. I was always going to take it,” Saka said.

It is pertinent to mention that Bellingham’s record-breaking goal and selfless gesture highlighted his influence as England secured third place with an entertaining victory in Miami.