Roy Keane, the outspoken former Manchester United captain turned Sky Sports analyst, has declared that Jude Bellingham has the potential to become one of football’s all‑time legends. The 23‑year‑old English midfielder, who also stars for Real Madrid, delivered a masterclass in Rijeka when England thrashed Croatia 7‑0 in the Nations League. In that match Bellingham found the net once and provided three assists, underscoring his growing influence on the national side. Bellingham’s rise has been meteoric.
After a standout World Cup campaign where he was England’s most impactful player, he has become the fulcrum of Thomas Tuchel’s attacking unit. Since the tournament began, the midfielder has been directly involved in 13 goals over just 11 games – a ratio that would make any striker jealous.
Keane, speaking on ITV after the Croatia fixture, lavished praise on the young star, calling his performance "complete" and noting that Bellingham has evolved into a "huge leader for England." "There’s still a lot more to come from Jude," Keane said. "He can go on to become one of the greatest players of all time.
His attitude for England recently… I have been praising him for being fantastic in possession, but what he is doing out of possession lifts all these players. If you have a player who is that good in your team, who is amazing in possession and is playing for Real Madrid and doing brilliant things, but his work rate off the ball, that will inspire all the other players." Keane also highlighted how England made a world‑ranked‑14 Croatia look like a "Gibraltar‑type of team," emphasizing the sheer dominance displayed throughout the 90 minutes.
His assessment was echoed by England’s own Bukayo Saka, who netted a brace in the same game. Saka told ITV, "It was an amazing night for us. We played with high energy and spirit and punished them tonight. He [Bellingham] was amazing tonight, to be fair.
He deserved player of the year and probably deserved man of the match as well. He was special. Happy to play with him and happy to have him in the England team." Tuchel, who has been praised for his tactical acumen, agreed that Bellingham had taken his game to the "next level," but warned that complacency has no place in elite football.
"Yes, at the moment it seems like that and you always need to. The level that you showed last week is never enough in the next week, that's just the nature of football," the German manager explained.
He added that the squad had been given greater responsibility and that the cohesion displayed against Croatia was a direct result of intensive training sessions and strategic meetings. The England front line has taken shape as a formidable quartet: Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham, Bukayo Saka and Anthony Gordon. All four found the back of the net against Croatia, illustrating the fluidity and interchangeability that Tuchel has cultivated. Kane, the team captain, described the system on ITV: "There’s freedom.
All four of us are good players, we can play in the 10 pocket, Ant can play as a No 9, B can come in as a No 10, Jude can play as a No 9, I can play as a midfielder. It’s so hard for the opposition to pick it up.
The bottom line is if you lose the ball, we’re all smart enough and good enough to cover in midfield or defence. That’s the way we want to play. For them it was so hard to pick a man and press." Tuchel elaborated on why the quartet has been so effective: the support from the full‑backs, the high‑level movements behind the line, and the relentless counter‑pressing. "They get better and better.
That’s why I didn’t want to change so much from match to match, to get the fluidity going and to get the movements going and to get the automatisms right within the front four but they are very good together at the moment. They enjoy playing together and the work rate is on a high level and the counter‑press is on a high level so these are complete performances. The full‑backs keep on pushing and supporting and the midfielders keep on pushing and supporting, so it’s always a team effort, but the front four look very dangerous at the moment," Tuchel said.
Rob Dorsett of Sky Sports News summed up the spectacle from Stadion HNK Rijeka: "England sank Croatia without a trace on the Adriatic coast, with the Good Ship Tuchel now full steam ahead after the World Cup supporter mutiny. No one could have predicted a performance of this utter dominance against the team ranked 14 in the world. England cut through a woeful Croatia midfield and defence at will, like a red‑hot knife carving through softened butter, and Tuchel’s front men had a field day. Two goals for Captain Kane with an assist to boot.
Two goals for Saka, which will have been a timely confidence boost for the Arsenal man. There was a goal and a hat‑trick of assists for the irrepressible Jude Bellingham, alongside a goal and an assist for the equally magnificent Anthony Gordon.
Croatia were simply blown away, and England could have won by more. When England are rampaging all over the pitch like this, winning back possession when they have no right to do so, passing forward at every opportunity and finishing ruthlessly, there is no better team in world football to watch.
Seven‑nil in Rijeka does not flatter them. This was a statement victory, and a marker of what they are capable of." The consensus among pundits, teammates and the manager is clear: Jude Bellingham is not only a pivotal figure for England today but also a player whose trajectory points toward the very top of the sport’s history. His blend of technical brilliance, tactical intelligence and tireless work ethic makes him a rare talent capable of shaping the game for years to come.
If he continues on this path, the claim that he could become one of the greatest ever may soon move from speculation to fact.