Jude Bellingham reveals how Jordan Henderson is a ‘role model’ to him in England’s team… and that he is ‘learning from the pain’ of experienced players after tournament heartbreaks

Jude Bellingham has praised Jordan Henderson as a role model as he manages the expectation of being England’s hope for a generation to come. 

The Real Madrid sensation, 20, won the Kopa Trophy as the world’s best young player last season and has become the gleaming centre of England’s dreams. 

He has revealed how he is learning from the heartbreak which players in the squad feel over recent near misses in tournaments. 

‘You learn to learn from their pain, if you like. 

Jude Bellingham has revealed that Jordan Henderson is a ‘role model’ to him on England duty

The 20-year-old says he is learning from the past pain of older players in the England squad 

‘When I speak to Hendo, who I’m really close with, he tells me how lucky I am to be in this squad with such a good environment, whereas it was a bit different when he ws playing at the start. 

‘I try and listen to him a lot because of the role model that he is to me. And he has properly helped me coming into this squad and helped me manage that expectation and responsibility.’

Bellingham rose to the occasion against Belgium, plucking out a 95th-minute equaliser to make it 2-2 and help England avoid back-to-back defeats at Wembley for the first time since November 2013. 

Already he has amassed 29 caps for his country, scoring three goals. His first outing was back in 2020 when he was just 17 and he was a prominent presence in the 2022 Qatar World Cup squad. 

Having started in the 2-1 quarter-final defeat to France – and been on the bench in the Euro 2020 final against Italy – he has experienced the torture of falling short on the international stage first-hand.

However, there is no doubt that he can still take a lot from his seniors. 

With Real Madrid, he has gone from strength to strength – he already has 20 goals and nine assists, a stunning total so far for his debut season. A haul of 14 goals in his first 15 games was a club record, surpassing even Cristiano Ronaldo. 

He added: ‘It’s been really tough but really fun adapting to life in Spain and having more responsibility with the Madrid team and the national team. 

His star is rising at Real Madrid and his responsibility is increasing for club and country 

‘I feel like I’m trying to soak it all in and enjoy the experience and hopefully improve and thrive on the back of it. 

‘I wake up and I have to pinch myself when I’m playing for England at Wembley or playing at the Bernabeu for Real Madrid. 

‘It’s something that I could never have dreamed of happening this early but I’m grateful to everyone who has played a part in my journey to get me here.

‘Trophies [would be success]. Being able to give my country and my team, Real Madrid, great experiences and great memories of lifting trophies.’