Jude Bellingham Makes History, Surpassing Cristiano Ronaldo And Michael Owen.
England midfielder Jude Bellingham outshone Cristiano Ronaldo and Michael Owen in Sunday’s 1-0 victory over Serbia at Euro 2024. Bellingham entered the tournament following an outstanding first season with Real Madrid, where he won La Liga, the Champions League, and the Spanish Super Cup.
The 20-year-old was rested for England’s warm-up matches against Bosnia-Herzegovina and Iceland before being included in Gareth Southgate’s lineup for the tournament opener against Serbia.
In his first appearance since the Champions League final, Bellingham played a pivotal role, meeting Bukayo Saka’s deflected cross to head the ball past Predrag Rajkovic.
The Three Lions maintained their lead to secure a clean sheet and earn three points in Group C.
Bellingham Sets New Record, Surpassing Ronaldo and Owen
Not only did he score the winning goal, but Jude Bellingham also made history at the Veltins Arena in Gelsenkirchen.
At 20 years and 353 days old, Bellingham became the youngest player to compete in three major international tournaments, breaking the previous record held by former England striker Michael Owen, who was 22 years and 170 days old.
The England star also surpassed Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo, who reached the same milestone at 23 years and 123 days old.
Bellingham made his debut in major tournaments at Euro 2020, coming on as a substitute in three matches as England advanced to the final.
The former Borussia Dortmund midfielder was a key player in the 2022 World Cup, starting in all five of England’s matches before their quarter-final exit against France.
Bellingham Makes More History
After scoring against Iran in the 2022 World Cup, Bellingham’s header against Serbia marks him as the first player to score for the Three Lions in both major tournaments while playing club football outside of England.
The Real Madrid star joins an elite group of Bobby Charlton, Alan Shearer, Gary Lineker, and Bryan Robson, becoming the fifth player to score England’s opening goal in two different major competitions.
With his first European Championship goal, Bellingham now has four goals in 30 appearances for his country.
Bellingham is expected to have the opportunity to increase that tally when England faces Denmark in their second group game on Thursday.
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