'Win major tournaments' - Jude Bellingham on England aims after Real Madrid heroics
The 20-year-old midfielder says it is time for the Three Lions to 'bring silverware home' after some near misses in recent years
Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham has turned his attentions to England after linking up with his national side this week and says it is time for the Three Lions "to win major tournaments" after some near misses in recent years.
Bellingham has been a revelation since signing for Real Madrid from Borussia Dortmund in the summer, scoring 10 goals for Los Blancos in just 10 appearances so far.
Fresh from scoring twice in Madrid's 4-0 win over Osasuna at the weekend, the 20-year-old joined up with England on Monday ahead of the games against Australia and Italy in the coming days and laid out his objectives for the coming years with the Three Lions in an interview with Reach Football.
"My goal for the next 12 months with the England team will be the same for the next 10-15 years: try to win major tournaments," he said.
"I think we can't shy away from saying that now. We've come close in the last few tournaments, and to now go back and say: 'Ah yeah, that was enjoyable, but now we have to be more realistic'...I don’t see the point.
"We should use the experiences we've got from previous tournaments to push on and bring some silverware home. That’s the common goal that we are striving towards and we aren’t afraid to say that any more. In the last few years it's been a case of hiding that expectation, so that we never fail. We've got to be willing to say it, so we can achieve it."
And he added: "There definitely has to be a belief that we can win trophies because that's what we are here to do and that's the standard of the team that we’ve now got. In a humble way, of course."
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Bellingham made his England debut in 2020 and was a runner-up with the Three Lions at the Euros the following year.
The midfielder also impressed at last year's World Cup as England made it to the quarter-finals before losing to France, has 26 caps and two goals so far.
England meet Australia in a friendly on Friday, before a Euro 2024 qualifier against Italy at Wembley four days later.
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Ben Hayward is a European football writer and Tottenham Hotspur fan with over 15 years’ experience, he has covered games all over the world - including three World Cups, several Champions League finals, Euros, Copa America - and has spent much of that time in Spain. Ben speaks English and Spanish, currently dividing his time between Barcelona and London, covering all the big talking points of the weekend on FFT: he’s also written several list features and interviewed Guglielmo Vicario for the magazine.