Jude Bellingham, who continues to defy age and popular midfield classification schemes, was England’s game-winning performance against Serbia.

In Gelsenkirchen, the 20-year-old was the most important player for his team, especially in the first half when he scored the game’s lone goal, distributed from deep, and stopped Serbian advances.

In the weeks preceding Euro 2024, there was a lot of talk about England’s No 10 position. Bellingham’s performance showed that the position is no longer reserved for elite players.

Bellingham appeared to be everywhere in the early going of the game, save for the central attacking midfield position that is typically associated with the No 10 shirt: he was pulling wide, sprinting beyond, and supporting his defense when needed.

The five most impressive aspects of Bellingham’s performance are listed here, along with the England captains they reminded us of.

It makes you think of: Steven GerrardBellingham’s first-half highlight, a hip-high volleyed pass to Kyle Walker, was quickly and widely shared on social media. In the end, Bellingham completed 67 of 70 passes that were attempted, including 24 passes into the last third of the game. England supporters will be encouraged by his in- possession contributions because he performed well in a more forward, roaming forward role at Real Madrid. Bellingham’s main strength may not be spray passes, but he is a formidable opponent when receiving the ball in deeper areas.

Taking on the likes of Bryan Robsonаgаinst Serbiа, Bellinghаm wоn nine duels аnd three tаckles, including twо spectаculаr sliding chаllenges in the оpening fоrty-five minutes. Bellinghаm hаd tо be cаreful defensively аt severаl pоints becаuse оf the level оf midfield rоtаtiоn thаt Gаreth Sоuthgаte’s teаm is implementing, which will thrill Englаnd suppоrters. While sоme midfielders tаke the term “bоx-tо-bоx” very literаlly, Bellinghаm wаsn’t scаred tо tаckle the less glаmоrоus аspects оf the jоb. If Englаnd mаkes it thrоugh the cоmpetitiоn, this will be needed lаter оn.

CourageBrings to mind: Alan ShearerBellingham, who occasionally lacks the will to score goals in modern midfielders, attacked Bukayo Saka’s cross like a center-forward. In this area, Robson—the player who netted England’s first goal at the 1982 World Cup after 27 seconds—would have also been a good analogy. Harry Kane of England is the leading scorer in the Bundesliga, and just two players scored more goals in La Liga than Bellingham did the previous campaign. As it turns out, goals matter.DisobedienceMakes one think of: Wayne RooneyAt the European Championship twenty years ago, an eighteen-year-old Rooney had the French players staring at each other in disbelief. Similar to Rooney, Bellingham doesn’t care about his reputation and he shouldn’t be, considering the La Liga and Champions League trophies he has in his back pocket. Bellingham briefly gave Serbia’s Filip Kostic a chest bump during the first half, raising the possibility that, in the event of an aggravating strike, he would be just as handy off the field as he is in the tunnel. Nevertheless, Bellingham does not appear to be exhibiting the rash reaction that has cost England in prior championships.

Adorability Makes You Think of: David BeckhamSome people were right when they worried that spending a year in Spain would turn our Jude into a cunning referee manipulator. Bellingham uses the same deft technique as Beckham to get his body between man and ball before slowing down and striking the turf. Harry Kane, Bellingham’s England captain, also possesses this quality. Whether or not one agrees with these strategies is a matter of opinion, but teams that are adept at them have sent England packing. Winning free kicks proved to be a key asset as Southgate’s team navigated an uncomfortable last 20 minutes.