Toni Kroos believes Jude Bellingham can be ‘the best midfielder in the world’ after his performance in England’s World Cup opener versus Croatia.
Bellingham has not always been a nailed-on starter under Thomas Tuchel, with many pundits calling for Morgan Rogers to be given the nod over the Real Madrid star in England’s first game of this tournament.
However, the 22-year-old silenced those doubters with an all-action display against Croatia, scoring England’s third with a well-taken finish as the Three Lions romped to a 4-2 victory in Dallas.
Bellingham now looks nailed on to start England’s second group game against Ghana on Tuesday, and Kroos believes his former Real teammate has all the qualities to become one of the world’s best midfielders.
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‘I had him as my teammate for a year and I think this was an amazing year that we had together,’ Kroos said on his TikTok live show Kroos & Kroos
‘His first year in Madrid was crazy; I was pretty surprised. I knew him from Dortmund but being his teammate after I was very surprised by what level he was able to play in the first season in Madrid.
‘The last two seasons went a bit more difficult but still, I keep my opinion that for me he is one of the most complete midfielders in the world.
‘If he’s on top for me, he’s the best midfielder in the world, or he could be the best midfielder in the world.’
Kroos continued: ‘I played one year with him and I really enjoyed this year with him. For a defensive midfielder, to have a number 10 like him with all the runs he does, protecting the ball, that makes it also easier for you.
‘If you have a player like him that is so smart, giving the right runs, opening spaces for you and I see things in him like that that are very special.’
Meanwhile, former Manchester United centre-back Rio Ferdinand lauded Bellingham’s mentality and said he is one player who Tuchel should look to build his England side around.
‘This guy wants to be the best; he wants to be responsible for big moments,’ Ferdinand said. ‘I think he’s a big moments player and like you say I think he’s he’s a very complete player.
‘I think his biggest asset is his mentality. I think the way that he approaches things and his maturity at such a young age – I think he’s a wonderful player and a player that you can build a team around very easily.’
Speaking after England’s win, Tuchel was also keen to praise Bellingham and said it was an ‘easy decision’ to start him against Croatia.
‘You can rely on Jude in these moments,’ the German said. ‘He loves these pressure games that brings out the best in him. So that’s an easy decision to let him play and to trust him.
‘Also because of the last 16,17 days, how he bought into the idea of team spirit and brotherhood and the idea of how we want to play football which is slightly different position than his position at Real Madrid.
‘I think Jude was very reliable and did his very best to be a top team player for us.’
England will resume their World Cup campaign against Ghana on Tuesday in Boston.
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