England’s Jude Bellingham says players need to “feel loved” to succeed – and his words reveal the psychological tightrope the team must walk if they are to end 60 years of hurt at the World Cup in North America.
Bellingham, the 22-year-old Real Madrid midfielder, is a key figure for the Three Lions as they prepare to face Croatia in their opening Group match in Arlington, Texas on 17 June. But the squad’s mood is under scrutiny after Bellingham admitted that at Euro 2024, where England reached the final only to lose to Spain, “the group connected as well as it could have”. The sense of disconnect, he said, was partly due to the weight of expectation after strong showings in 2018 and 2022. Even when winning, he explained, “you didn’t get the feeling you were as happy as you should be”.
“Why Jude Bellingham’s plea for love explains England’s World Cup challenge”
England have not won a men’s major tournament since the 1966 World Cup. Under previous manager Gareth Southgate, they reached the semi-finals in 2018 and the quarter-finals in 2022, but criticism of their style of play grew. Bellingham himself said he felt like a “bit of a scapegoat” for the team’s failure to win Euro 2024. Now, with Thomas Tuchel in charge, there is a new debate: should Bellingham start in the No. 10 role, or should Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers take his place? Bellingham has 48 caps and started every game at the 2022 World Cup, scoring against Iran. At Euro 2024 he scored a winner against Serbia and a dramatic late equaliser against Slovakia. But Tuchel has suggested that Bellingham cannot win the tournament alone, and that his place is not guaranteed.
Bellingham’s call for unity is not just sentimental – it reflects a wider challenge for elite teams where individual talent must be harnessed into collective spirit. As he put it: “Everyone’s got to feel loved and feel a huge part of the team. The other thing is just to enjoy it.” Rogers, who could directly compete with Bellingham, described the camp as “really aligned” and said “it doesn’t matter” where players come from or how old they are – “it is a joy to be here”.
For UK readers, the message is about the human side of football. When players feel pressure, they can underperform. When they feel supported, they thrive. England’s success may depend not just on tactics but on whether Tuchel can foster an atmosphere where every player, including the stars, feels valued. That is the challenge Bellingham has put into words.
Q: Why does Jude Bellingham need to ‘feel loved’ to play well? Bellingham said that after Euro 2024 he felt the group “was not quite connected” and that players were not enjoying wins as much as they should. He believes that for England to win the World Cup, every player must feel appreciated and part of the team, because “the guy who scores the winning goal in the World Cup final isn’t always the one you’d bet your house on”. In other words, a happy, united squad can produce unexpected heroes.
Q: What went wrong for England at Euro 2024? Although England reached the final, they were criticised for poor performances. Bellingham said they got “some things a little bit wrong off the pitch” and that the group did not connect well. He also mentioned that expectation – after doing well in previous tournaments – made the team feel they had to win, which sucked the joy out of the campaign. As a result, even when they won, the mood was flat.
Q: Who is Morgan Rogers and why is he challenging Bellingham for a place? Morgan Rogers is an Aston Villa forward who has impressed Tuchel. He could start as the No. 10 instead of Bellingham. Rogers has spoken positively about the squad’s togetherness, saying it is “easy and seamless for anyone to fit in”. His rise adds pressure on Bellingham to perform, but also underlines the depth of talent in the England camp.
England play Croatia on 17 June, followed by Ghana and Panama in Group stage. Tuchel must decide whether to start Bellingham or Rogers – and whether the team’s unity can withstand the pressure of a nation’s expectations. The World Cup runs through to the final on 19 July in New Jersey.