Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham at center of Spain's focus for Euro 2024 final
BERLIN — Harry Kane is England's top scorer, Bukayo Saka has been its most efficient Euro 2024 creator, Phil Foden is rounding into form, Kobbie Mainoo has thrived in midfield, but there is one man Spain is paying its attention to in Sunday's final (3 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app).
Bellingham came into the tournament off the back of a spectacular season with Real Madrid that saw him named La Liga Player of the Season. It is fair to say that while England is delighted to have a player of such caliber, he is just a big a star in Spain — if not more so — than in his homeland.
His face has been emblazoned on the front page of Spanish newspapers this week, there have been questions about whether tiredness from the long season in Madrid has contributed to his mixed performances this summer, and, more than anything, a feeling that keeping Bellingham quiet is the first step to Spanish success at the Olympic Stadium.
"He is a footballer I like a lot," Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente told a press conference. "He has qualities which really appeal to me. He is a strong player who has technical quality and harmony between his strengths.
"He also has agility and elegance. He has these virtues, he scores goals. He is an innate talent who is becoming very important. Aesthetically, he is very enjoyable to watch."
This browser does not support the Video element.
Bellingham's first season in Madrid was stunning in its efficiency. Playing a higher role than he did for previous club Borussia Dortmund, he found goalscoring form, hitting 23 in all competitions as Real completed a cherished double of the La Liga and Champions League titles.
In that sense, the average Spanish fan has maybe seen more of him than the average English one. At 17, he left hometown club Birmingham City to go to Dortmund and has never played in the English Premier League.
Bellingham loves the big occasion but more than anything he embraces the need to be the player that makes something happen. Big games, finals, are often determined by moments. His ability to step up when it mattered for Madrid is part of why Spain sees him as its biggest obstacle in attempting to win the Euros for the fourth time.
"I know Jude really well," Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente told a press conference. "In fact, one of the first votes I had to participate in, having only just taken over the national team almost two years ago, was for the best players in Europe. Jude was still playing in Germany and I'd say much less known by the wider public. I voted him in second place."
[RELATED: Harry Kane would 'swap everything' for Euro 2024 final glory with England]
There have been glimpses of Bellingham's best during Euro 2024, but the overall consistency seen during the domestic campaign has not been there. Cohesion between him and EPL player of the year Phil Foden has not been consistent and the general brand of England's soccer has sometimes felt slow and dull.
However, he did manage the only goal in the opening 1-0 victory over Serbia and, against Slovakia, a strike that instantly went down in English soccer folklore.
With the team trailing 1-0 in the waning moments of injury time, the 21-year-old unleashed a spectacular bicycle kick to send the game to extra-time, where the result was sealed by Kane's headed winner.
"Who else?" he yelled, a phrase that was immediately translated and splashed around the Spanish media.
Certain players are built for the special challenges, and as England tries to win its first major trophy since the 1966 World Cup, there is nothing bigger than this.
Southgate has said Bellingham "writes his own scripts." How England would love another one here, as it chases history.
Martin Rogers is a columnist for FOX Sports. Follow him on Twitter @MRogersFOX.