Jude Bellingham breaks all-time England goalscoring record

Jude Bellingham has firmly written his name into the record books of English football. In a chaotic and breathtaking 10-goal thriller against France during Saturday's World Cup third-place playoff, the 23-year-old midfielder produced a moment of absolute genius to seal a 6-4 victory for England and stand alone as the nation’s greatest ever single-tournament scorer.With his late sensational solo goal at the Hard Rock Stadium, Bellingham reached seven goals in this World Cup campaign. According to sports analytics Opta, those seven strikes are now the outright most ever scored by an England player at a single major international tournament, surpassing the legendary six-goal tallies of Gary Lineker (1986 World Cup) and Harry Kane (2018 World Cup and the ongoing edition of 2026).The historic milestone arrived in the dying minutes of a wild second half. France had mounted a furious comeback, driven by a record-breaking performance from Kylian Mbappé, pulling the scoreline back to a tight 5-4. With the match hanging in the balance during stoppage time, Bellingham took matters into his own hands.Receiving the ball near the halfway line, the Real Madrid powerhouse drove aggressively toward the French defense. Displaying a rare mix of raw power, agility, and elite technical skill, Bellingham skipped past three sliding French defenders, cutting sharply into the penalty box. Faced with an oncoming goalkeeper, he calmly slotted a low, composed finish into the bottom corner. The brilliant solo strike put the final exclamation mark on a memorable match, securing the bronze medal for the Three Lions.Bellingham’s path to this record is nothing short of extraordinary. After being dropped from the starting lineup in the immediate build-up to the World Cup by manager Thomas Tuchel, his spot was heavily questioned. However, the midfielder responded with massive tournament performances, including critical doubles against Mexico and Norway before his historic closing act against France.While Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka earned heavy praise for scoring a magnificent hat-trick earlier in the match, Bellingham’s record-breaking seventh goal stole the headlines. As England ends its campaign in the United States on a winning note, the young midfielder's historic goal scoring exploit sets a completely new benchmark for future generations of English talent.vGet the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.