Ex-Premier League star Aleksandar Mitrovic hails Jude Bellingham as the best player in the world… after he inspired England to a 1-0 win over Serbia in their Euro 2024 opener
- England defeated Serbia 1-0 on Sunday evening in their opening match at the 2024 European Championship
- Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham scored the only goal after 13 minutes
- Listen to It all starts! How Southgate enjoyed playing for England again
Aleksandar Mitrovic hailed Jude Bellingham as the best player in the world after his stunning performance in England’s 1-0 win over Serbia on Sunday night.
Gareth Southgate’s side worked to a narrow victory in Gelsenkirchen in their opening match for Euro 2024 and they were indebted to the talents of the Real Madrid star, who scored the only goal after 13 minutes.
Mitrovic, who now plays his club football in Saudi Arabia with Al Hilal after leaving Fulham last summer, praised England’s all-round quality but reserved special praise for the 20-year-old midfielder.
‘[Jude] Bellingham is the player everyone is talking about and today he showed why.” The ex-Premier League star told ITV after the match. ‘He is one of the best players, if not the best player in the world at the moment.
‘But there is a lot of quality around him with Harry Kane, Declan Rice and John Stone’s Kyle Walker. Moreover, there are many players on the bench who can change the game.
Jude Bellingham was named Player of the Match after his stellar performance against Serbia
Ex-Fulham striker Aleksandar Mitrovic (left) thinks Bellingham is the best player in the world right now
“Like I said, congratulations, but we’re focusing on ourselves. We have two big games, so we will try to recover and be ready for that.”
After being blown away by England’s excellent start, Dragan Stojkovic’s side recovered well to provide a nervous conclusion for all those rooting for the Three Lions.
Serbia tested Jordan Pickford with a pair of tries late on and the Everton stopper was forced into a brilliant save after Dusan Vlahovic’s long-range effort.
Despite the win and clean sheet – their fifth time in the European Championship group stage matches – the English stars were criticized by domestic and foreign experts.
John Stones was given a rating of 3/10 by the notoriously tough French sports newspaper L’Equipe for his performances.
They felt that he struggled from the first minute in the battle with striker Vlahovic and ‘his blunders multiplied’ throughout the match.
L’Equipe noted that his defeat to Iceland and his subsequent illness were factors that meant he was ‘not in the best of form’.
They also gave Harry Kane a 5/10 for his understated performance in the top flight.
Joining him on that uninspiring rating were Phil Foden, Marc Guehi and Kieran Trippier, while Jordan Pickford and Kyle Walker were rated just 6/10 despite ensuring their target was not exceeded.
England’s players have faced criticism from pundits across Europe despite starting their Euro 2024 campaign with a win and a clean sheet
Gareth Southgate’s side moved to the top of Group C after Denmark’s draw against Slovenia earlier in the day
L’Equipe liked what they saw from Trent Alexander-Arnold in midfield, praising ‘the quality of his set pieces, his precise crosses to the left and the precision of his passes’.
The Paris newspaper was pleased with Saka’s assist and the way he ‘performed a series of astonishing dribbles down his line’ and praised his support for Walker, although they noted that his influence faded in the second half.
England moved to the top of Group C with the win, after Denmark drew with Slovenia earlier in the day. Southgate’s side will play the Danes in their next match on Thursday.
