Henderson defends 'special' Bellingham: We all love him

 Jordan Henderson assured that Jude Bellingham is loved by his England teammates in response to the criticism leveled at the young player. Bellingham enters the World Cup with reports suggesting that he may not be the number one player in Thomas Tuchel's attack. Indeed, Bellingham was not always included by Tuchel in the qualifying matches, although he struggled with injuries and Morgan Rogers played as the number ten. However, Bellingham looks certain to have a place in the England squad for the World Cup opener against Croatia on Wednesday, playing behind Harry Kane. Henderson is confused by the criticism that has heaped on the 22-year-old. "I remember giving him his first chance six years ago and how much he has developed as a player and as a person is truly amazing," Henderson said. "I had a good feeling when I first saw him play and train, and the way he played. What he has achieved so far at such a young age, I think everyone forgets how young he is, even me sometimes. I really can't rate him highly enough. I know the media writes about him differently, sometimes it's hard to read because I just know how much of an impact he has on this team, what a teammate he is off the pitch. What he gives us on the pitch is something really special. He gives us such an X-factor. He can play in big games, he has experience in tournaments. He is a huge, huge player for us in this tournament. If you ask any player in this team, he will tell you what a good teammate he is and how well he trains, but he also helps the younger players, the new players who come into the squad. Ethan [Nwaneri] - how he behaves towards these players, no one sees it. Everyone looks at him, everyone admires him and he gave his first chance to Rio [Ngumoha], which gives you a little insight into what he is like behind the scenes. I think a lot of what is written in the media is not true, even untrue. Since making his debut for England in November 2020, Bellingham has played 48 matches for the national team. During this time, only John Stones (50), Jordan Pickford (56), Declan Rice (62) and Harry Kane (65) played more caps. --- ## Related Articles 1. [Cyle Larin segna il pareggio per il Canada contro la Bosnia ed Erzegovina](https://azzurrigoal.com/it/news/cyle-larin-segna-il-pareggio-per-il-canada-contro-la-bosnia-ed-erzegovina) 2. [France vs Senegal: World Cup 2026 Opener Preview](https://pitchpulsemedia.com/en/news/france-vs-senegal-world-cup-2026-opener-preview)