Wayne Rooney believes Jude Bellingham's performance in England's World Cup victory over Mexico was reminiscent of legendary Champions League displays by Steven Gerrard and Roy Keane. Bellingham, 23, scored two goals in 98 seconds as England secured a 3-2 win against Mexico in a demanding World Cup match. The victory has set up a quarter-final tie for England as they aim to win their first major trophy since 1966.
Rooney, a former England striker, drew parallels between Bellingham's decisive contribution and Gerrard's role in Liverpool's 2005 Champions League final comeback against AC Milan, as well as Keane's inspirational performance for Manchester United against Juventus in the 1999 European Cup semi-final.
"I said Jude Bellingham was going to have a game when we're going to need him to drag us through," Rooney said on his BBC podcast. "You look at Steven Gerrard against AC Milan in the 2005 Champions League final. Roy Keane against Juventus for Manchester United. They dragged the teams through them games."
Rooney described Bellingham's display in the match, played at the Azteca, as a "10 out of 10" performance, considering the challenging circumstances of the game. He highlighted Bellingham's drive, work rate, and hunger as key factors.
In addition to his two goals, Bellingham made a critical last-ditch tackle to prevent a Mexican defender from equalizing just before halftime. Rooney noted Bellingham's defensive effort as crucial, stating, "At times defensively he's not always in the right positions, but his desire to get back and put that last-minute tackle in and help his team-mates when they're not maybe having the best game was everything."