Jude Bellingham Stars as England Demolish Croatia 7-0 in Nations League

A year ago, Jude Bellingham was not even guaranteed a place in the England squad. On Saturday night in Rijeka, he looked like a player who could one day be counted among the greatest the game has ever seen. The 23-year-old scored once and created three more as England demolished Croatia 7-0 in the Nations League — the heaviest defeat in Croatian football history.

It was a performance of staggering completeness from the Real Madrid midfielder, who ended the evening wearing the captain's armband. In the space of 90 minutes, Bellingham turned a story of redemption into a statement of intent — and left some of the game's most hard-nosed observers reaching for superlatives.

A night of redemption in Rijeka

The context made the performance all the more remarkable. Bellingham was famously left out of Thomas Tuchel's England squad in October 2025, a decision that cast genuine doubt over his place at the World Cup. He fought his way back, earned his spot, and finished the tournament as England's top scorer with seven goals as the Three Lions reached the semi-finals and finished third.

Rijeka was his coronation as the undisputed heartbeat of Tuchel's side. Restored to the starting line-up, Bellingham ran the game from the first whistle against a Croatia side that simply could not cope with England's movement and intensity.

One goal, three assists: the masterclass

The numbers barely do it justice, but they are worth reciting. Bellingham opened his account by setting up Harry Kane for the first goal, then got on the scoresheet himself after being teed up by Anthony Gordon. Bukayo Saka's two goals were assisted by Bellingham and Kane respectively, and Bellingham completed his hat-trick of assists by laying on the seventh for substitute Morgan Rogers.

He is the first England player to record three assists in a single game since Trent Alexander-Arnold did so against San Marino in November 2021 — and to do it against Croatia, the 2018 World Cup finalists, rather than European minnows, marks it out as something special. As the BBC's analysis put it, Bellingham showed a performance that seemed to reach a new level, demonstrating the potential to become one of the greatest players of all time.

The goals kept coming: Kane struck twice to extend his all-time England scoring record to 89, Arsenal winger Saka bagged a brace of his own, Gordon continued his remarkable international scoring run, and Rogers applied the finishing touch. Four different England players — Kane, Bellingham, Gordon and Saka — scored in the first half, something the national team had not managed since March 2013.

The pundits' verdict

Roy Keane is not a man given to gushing praise, which made his assessment all the more striking. "Bellingham can go on to be one of the greatest players of all time," the former Manchester United captain said. "At this moment in time, he is an amazing footballer. The package — his running power, his delivery, his goal threat."

Ian Wright, the former England striker, marvelled at the midfielder's relentless energy: "When Bellingham is on the pitch, he is always driving forward and going again and again." And Saka, who knows better than most what it is like to share a pitch with him, was unequivocal: "He was amazing tonight. He deserved player of the year and he deserved man of the match tonight too. He was special."

!Jude Bellingham at the 2024 Laureus World Sports Awards Credit: Barcex, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Tuchel's take

England head coach Thomas Tuchel, the man who once left Bellingham out, now speaks of him as the standard-bearer for the team's ambition. Asked whether this was the level he demands, Tuchel replied: "Yes, at the moment it seems like it, and you always need to." His message to the squad was characteristically demanding: "It's like you can never stand still. You have to develop and you have to push for the next level, otherwise other teams will catch up."

It is quite the journey from the autumn of 2025, when Tuchel made clear there would be no star treatment for the Madrid man. Bellingham's response — seven World Cup goals, then this — has been the most eloquent possible answer.

Kane closes in on history

While Bellingham stole the show, Kane's double quietly moved him to 89 international goals — and deeper into uncharted territory. The 33-year-old became the first England player to score ten or more goals in three different calendar years, with 11 in 2026 adding to 16 in 2021 and 12 in 2019. The century of international goals, once unthinkable for an Englishman, is beginning to look like a genuine target.

What to watch next

The victory was England's biggest since the 7-0 thrashing of North Macedonia in June 2023, and their largest ever in the Nations League. With two wins from three in their group, Tuchel's side are chasing a top-two finish and a place in the quarter-finals in March — and they conclude this international break against the Czech Republic at Wembley on Tuesday.

The question now is whether Bellingham can produce this level when the stakes — and the crowds — are at their highest. On this evidence, few would bet against him.

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