Jude Bellingham is a leader like Roy Keane and Patrick Vieira who plays on the edge, insists Gareth Southgate… but the England and Real Madrid star must remain disciplined

Gareth Southgate has no history with exaggerations, so when he mentioned Jude Bellingham in the same sentence as Steven Gerrard, Patrick Vieira and Roy Keane on Thursday, it indicated where he thinks this England team will one day travel with the Real Madrid star. in charge.

Bellingham will not turn 21 until halfway through this summer’s European Championships and has only five tournament starts. But Southgate already sees him not only as a generational talent, but also as a young footballer who can lead.

Recently, Bellingham has caused controversy in Spain. The Spanish Football Federation has now dropped the case after calling Mason Greenwood a ‘rapist’ when Real played Getafe last month.

It couldn’t be proven. After a match against Valencia two weeks ago, he was sent off for using foul and abusive language against referee Jesus Gil Manzano.

When asked by Mail Sport whether Bellingham is at risk of getting the wrong side of the referees at Euro 2024, Southgate said: ‘I think with some of the great players playing with the mentality he has – I think of Gerrard, Vieira and Keane – they’re going head-to-head.

Southgate named Bellingham in his England squad on Thursday as the European Championships came into focus

Bellingham’s frustration recently boiled over after he was shown a red card against Valencia

‘They don’t like to lose, they like to win. They pull the team down at those moments and are often on the line. That’s often where he is, so what gives him his greatest power is something he has to make sure he’s on the right side of.

‘Normally he would have been able to maintain control at those moments if he received a yellow card. This is the first time I can remember him getting over that. He’s a smart boy, he’ll learn from that.

‘He has had an incredible season at historically the biggest club in the world. We like that edge, but it’s clear he has to do it well.”

England has suffered from erratic tournament referees. David Beckham was sent off against Argentina after a duel with Diego Simeone at the 1998 World Cup. Eight years later, Wayne Rooney was sent off for an incident involving Portuguese defender Ricardo Carvalho.

Reminded of this, Southgate laughed: “Well, if I feel like I’ll talk to him, but what I won’t do is write on the back pages ‘Southgate warns perhaps the best player we’ve had for decades!’ I know this is more fodder for you….”

Bellingham’s rise as one of Southgate’s key players has been as rapid as it has been impressive. Together with Declan Rice, he is already a leading candidate to replace captain Harry Kane when the Bayern Munich striker withdraws from the international match.

As for the present, this is an English team with a nod to the future, a team that shows how quickly the wheel can turn at this level. For example, it looks like Raheem Sterling’s chances of traveling to Germany are gone.

Southgate compared Bellingham’s leadership qualities to those of Roy Keane and Patrick Vieira

The box-to-box midfielder is shining during his debut season with Real Madrid

Teammate Cole Palmer, 21, is again selected ahead of him, while Newcastle’s Anthony Gordon, 23, is also at the front of the queue.

“At Chelsea, Cole is the one who starts every game and they go,” Southgate said. ‘With the form of Anthony Gordon, with the goals Jarrod Bowen has scored, Raheem has a fight on his hands.

“We know what Bukayo Saka and Phil Foden have done over a long period of time. It is the area of ​​the field where we have the highest level of competition for places.

“We will never close the door because we know he can perform in our environment in the games that really matter, but right now we see him behind those guys.”