MIKE KEEGAN: Jude Bellingham has been an England standout and is blameless in a losing cause

Comfort was on Sir Paul McCartney’s mind when he wrote Hey Jude in 1968. He may not have been aware that, more than 50 years later, those words would have acted as a softener for the executives of a football club in Germany.

The Beatles classic, which he wrote to calm Cynthia, John Lennon’s wife, after their separation, has become something of an anthem among England fans at this World Cup thanks to groundbreaking performances by the brilliant Jude Bellingham. .

And, while he’ll be offering help to those fans this morning, they could be forgiven for singing a rendition in the corridors of power at Westfalenstadion, the home of Borussia Dortmund.

Jude Bellingham (left) during England’s 2-1 quarter-final loss to France on Friday.

The 19-year-old was left crying on the pitch after England were knocked out of the World Cup.

Officials for the Bundesliga giants were already resigned to losing Stourbridge’s super-talented son before a ball was kicked in Qatar, but what they wanted was an auction.

And that is what they seem to have achieved. Bellingham has excelled in England and was a driving force here, through no fault of his own in a losing cause.

He leaves with his reputation enhanced with another action-packed performance. The only difference was that it ends in defeat, but for Bellingham, who has already accomplished so much, the journey is just beginning.

Unlike his former Dortmund teammate, currently on a Premier League break, there is no release clause.

Bellingham (left) has a bright future and could be signed by Dortmund for more than 150 million euros

Pep Guardiola has already been labeling the young midfielder as ‘the complete package’

Dortmund entered the tournament hoping for €150 million. Now that’s almost guaranteed. There is a relationship between Dortmund and City after the Haaland deal and there is quiet optimism at the Etihad Stadium that they are very useful.

Pep Guardiola has already put his admiration on record, calling the 19-year-old “the complete package” and hailing his development in Germany following a move from Birmingham City that netted the Blues £30m.

Bellingham’s contract will expire two years from next summer. “The way the World Cup has gone, they can’t afford to keep it going,” explained a well-informed source.

There was little here to quiet the noise on a night than it might have been. In a Test first half, it was the teenager who led England’s response.

Bellingham (left) worked hard during the game to control France’s Antoine Greizmann (right)

One minute he was stopping Antoine Greizmann in his tracks, the next he was slipping through the France defenders in search of Harry Kane. He said a lot about how, on the stroke of halftime, Kylian Mbappe was trying to send him off for a perfectly fair tackle on Theo Hernandez.

Moments after the break, Ousmane Dembele went into the book for a cynical tackle from behind on a breaking Bellingham and then had Hugo Lloris in full sprawl with a searing strike, before a clever give-and-take with Bukayo Saka created a penalty. practically out of nowhere.

Bellingham caused France problems throughout the game testing Hugo Lloris with a shot

England should not have lost here and Olivier Giroud’s punch or Harry Kane’s missed penalty will not alter the narrative.

Bellingham should have at least three more World Cups to look forward to as the Three Lions search for an elusive crown.

How is this playing out now? Bellingham’s father, Mark, takes care of his business and keeps his letters close to his chest.

Apart from City, Real Madrid and Liverpool are interested. Experts think it would be folly to write off Paris Saint-Germain, financed with gas from the very land Bellingham has burned down.

There will be undercover agents inside the camp. In the red corner, it’s Jordan Henderson, ably assisted by Trent Alexander-Arnold, while Jack Grealish, Kyle Walker, Phil Foden and Kalvin Phillips may all have a say.

Now that England are out, Bellingham will return to Dortmund, where talks with sporting director Sebastian Kehl await him ahead of what is now an inevitable summer move.

Two years ago, McCartney’s handwritten lyrics for Hey Jude fetched around £750,000, nine times its estimated value. Let the bidding begin.