It happened during England’s opener against Croatia at the Euros. Jude Bellingham made history under Wayne Rooney’s watch.
Way back in 2004, a young Wayne Rooney was making England history at the Euros without imagining Jude Bellingham would take his spot. The kid from Stourbridge came on the pitch during the second half against Croatia. He made history not only with England but in European football. At the tender age of 17 years and 349 days, Jude defeated Jetro Willems’ record of 18 years and 71 days old. The England lad became the youngest ever footballer to play the Euros and the first underage player to do so.
With 8 minutes left on the clock, Gareth Southgate took Harry Kane out in order to offer Bellingham his moment of glory. Even though he didn’t make a massive difference, what matters for Jude is making history for his country. At Borussia Dortmund, it seems he will be allowed to keep growing with no outside noise despite his undisputed talent. There was even a moment in which the narrators realized Jude was Gareth Southgate’s option above other key players like Jadon Sancho or Jack Grealish.
Wayne Rooney saw Jude Bellingham making history.
Back when he was also a teenager, Wayne Rooney became England’s youngest goal scorer during the European Championship. He still holds this record but the tournament just started for Bellingham and he can certainly make this happen. Wayne visited Wembley Stadium with his family in order to support his former teammates. He must’ve had a surreal moment watching Jude take his place and force him to bring back all those memories.
To those who don’t remember, the 2004 Euros were a bust for England mainly due to Rooney getting injured. With the former player at the top of his game, they would’ve certainly reached greater heights. Bellingham still wants to emulate what Wayne Rooney did even further than what the Manchester United legend accomplished. The only issue lies in whether Southgate will give him more opportunities or not.
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