Journo: England ace Jude Bellingham to win best young player at 2022 World Cup
We’re delighted to welcome freelance journalist Alex Barker, also known as Euro Expert, who has worked for Breaking The Lines, GFFN and more, as our exclusive columnist. Each week he will be giving his views on the biggest talking points on Wonderkids across the UK…
Jude Bellingham has been tipped to win the award for best young player at the 2022 World Cup with England by journalist Alex Barker.
Bellingham has been a stand-out performer for Borussia Dortmund so far this season in the Bundesliga, scoring nine goals after assuming a more advanced role.
He’s now expected to start in midfield for England under Gareth Southgate at the tournament in Qatar this month, and Barker believes that if all goes to plan then he could be the stand-out young player in the entire tournament.
“I would probably end up picking Bellingham,” he told The Football Wonderkids.
“If all goes well, England have a pretty clear path to the quarter-finals and then they’ll probably play France. If you beat them and go further, then I think Bellingham could be at the heart of it.
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“Unless Gareth Southgate really does believe in Kalvin Phillips despite him getting very little game time, I’d be Bellingham is going to start and I think him and Musiala are the two most talented youngsters at this tournament.”
The award is considered a prestigious one, having previously won by legendary names such as Pele and Franz Beckenbauer, while the likes of Marc Overmars, Michael Owen, Thomas Muller, Paul Pogba and Kylian Mbappe have won it more recently.
Bellingham is expected to be subject to a major transfer bidding war between Europe’s top clubs in the summer transfer window, with the likes of Real Madrid, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United all interested.
Dortmund are believed to want in excess of £100m for their star midfielder, who started his career in England with boyhood club Birmingham City.
In other World Cup news, three youngsters to watch out for at the 2022 Qatar World Cup