I noticed this last night, as well. He’s been doing it all tournament but it becomes more apparent the worse he plays and the better others around him play. He was genuinely avoiding passing to Foden in the first half, as Phil was playing the best football and could have created more chances if Bellingham had just given him the ball in quite a few situations. I am not sure if it was because Phil was outshining him but it continues to be a frustrating aspect to Bellingham’s game, regardless.
Bellingham reminds me of the middle child desperate for attention: ecstatic and exuberant when he is getting it, miserable and petulant when he isn’t.
I have still yet to see anything about his game that is actually worthy of the “generational talent” label, nor any evidence that he is a team player, at least with England. He has the talent to be an exceptional forward, but he is wholly lacking as a midfielder, and his attitude is awful. So, in some ways, his poor performances are as much on Southgate as they are on him. But he still shoulders most of the blame for how he plays with his teammates, even if he is playing in a role that doesn’t necessarily suit him.
It will be very interesting to how he gets on at Real Madrid now that they have a new super star plaything in Mbappe. My hunch is that he will not be happy.
