If this World Cup has brought us some new kids on the block, then one of them is definitely England’s Jude Bellingham. We’re all thrilled to see such a young player thrive at the biggest stage of all. And legendary Yaya Toure is one of us.In his analysis for The Athletic, the former Senegalese player praises the 19-year-old for his displays in Qatar. We present you the most interesting extracts from it…”I can’t wait to watch the World Cup quarter-final between France and England on Saturday because I think they have the two young players who are at the top of the tournament: Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham.Hey Jude, where have you been all our lives?Bellingham has been the star of all of England’s matches for me. Sometimes he’s scoring, sometimes he’s passing, and the timing of his box-to-box runs are perfect. He’s in good shape and came into this tournament with the right confidence from Borussia Dortmund. You can tell he sees himself as a potential top player in the world, and wants to show it at the World Cup.I hope the media are careful with him because we saw a similar situation a few years ago with Dele Alli, who struggled at times with being presented as a leader for the club and country. It’s important for everyone to be protective of Bellingham for his development because it’s clear he has a bright, bright future with England.Three Lions put three behind the Lions of Teranga to arrange the monumental battle with FranceHis mentality – his focus, his determination to win – at 19 is not normal. In my career, I mostly saw it in South American players, with Javier Mascherano (Argentina) being a good example, but I’ve also seen it in Gavi of Spain at this tournament. More young English players need what Bellingham has.The image I loved most from the game against Senegal was him waiting to celebrate with Jordan Henderson after his pass for the first goal. It was brilliant.##NAJAVA_MECA_6870982##Bellingham’s game intelligence and passing are also unbelievable. You could see it clearly in the way he created England’s second goal against Senegal. He shows his desire to get to the ball first, then shows his strength when another defender tries to stop him in a bad way while he’s running at speed.My plan was to become a Man City legend. And I did it!Bellingham isn’t just dangerous with the ball at his feet. He understands that running off the ball is more important than running with it. When you have the ball, everyone focuses on you, but running in behind, unselfish running can divert defenders and create space for a team-mate in the right position.##NAJAVA_MECA_6871887##In the past, we saw England with midfielders like Lampard or Gerrard, who could shoot from long range. Now we see players like Bellingham with different characteristics physically and, in terms of technical ability, close to big players from other top countries. His vision is clear, and he’s smart. It’s not easy to have this vision at the speed of the game.When I see the runs he makes to allow his teammates to open the game, or when he has the ball, he doesn’t look 19. He looks like a player who has been playing at a high level for a long period. Full credit to Birmingham and to Dortmund for his development – Dortmund have been developing players brilliantly well.##EDITORS_CHOICE##France will be a big test for England. They are a top, top team, the 2018 World Cup winners, and they are very well-organised. It’s so difficult to break them open in their 4-4-2. Individually they have quality and collectively, they are very strong. They have been playing with each other for six or seven years, and they have that consistency.Mbappe is in red-hot form, but so is Bellingham. That’s head-to-head because those are the two players who can open the game. His movement will be vital, and England will need their other special talents, like Foden and Bukayo Saka, to turn up and the more experienced players to guide them.If Mbappe was a sprinter – he would collapse after 60 meters, if it were measured like this – Bolt would run 8.05!This game is going to determine if they can believe in winning the World Cup. I want Bellingham to go far in this competition because I’ve been really impressed by him. He’s going to be one of the best midfielders in the world and he’s showing his talent already.We have more to see from him, I’m 100 per cent sure of that.”QATAR 2022 WORLD CUP1/4 FINALSFriday 18.00: (9.50) Croatia (4.60) Brazil (1.42)22.00: (3.50) Netherlands (3.15) Argentina (2.35)Saturday 18.00: (6.00) Morocco (3.60) Portugal (1.70)Sat 22.00: (3.15) England (3.20) France (2.50)***odds are subject to change
