England's run at the 2026 World Cup has increasingly centred on Jude Bellingham, who scored twice against Norway on Saturday having also netted a double against Mexico in the previous round. In doing so, the 23-year-old Real Madrid forward became the first player to score twice in consecutive World Cup knockout matches since Diego Maradona in 1986, underlining his reputation for delivering in the biggest games as England prepare for a semi-final against Argentina.

The article argues that Bellingham's tournament heroics are no fluke, backed by his wider record: nine of his 12 international goals have come at major tournaments (seven at World Cups and two at Euro 2024), a far higher proportion than any of the 44 other men with at least 12 England goals. His figures are not inflated by penalties or weak opposition — no side he has scored against was ranked below 48th at the time — and his other international goals have been dramatic late equalisers against Belgium and Greece, plus a strike at Hampden Park. In this tournament, three of England's four instances of a player recording at least 0.6 non-penalty expected goals in a match were Bellingham's knockout displays, with the other coming from Ezri Konsa against Croatia.