Hamann reverses verdict on Bellingham after England's 4-2 demolition of Croatia

Dietmar Hamann has publicly reversed his long-held reservations about Jude Bellingham, crediting the Real Madrid midfielder’s maturity and team-first display in England’s 4-2 World Cup Group L victory over Croatia on Wednesday.

Bellingham, 22, scored England’s third goal in the Group L opener — his fourth international tournament — as Thomas Tuchel’s side recovered from a shaky first half to run out convincing winners. The result gave England a strong start to their World Cup 2026 campaign.

Hamann, the former Liverpool and Germany midfielder, covered the game for RTE and was candid about his earlier doubts. “I saw him for Dortmund for a couple of seasons, and some of the things he did I didn’t like at all,” he said. But the ex-Germany international pointed to Bellingham’s Champions League triumph in his debut season at Real Madrid — and his performance against Croatia — as evidence of a player who has learned to subordinate individual instincts to collective purpose.

“I wasn’t sure about him going to Madrid, but I have got to say the way he made the transition to Madrid and winning the Champions League in his first year, there is huge pressure to perform, and tonight he looked like a team player,” Hamann added. “When he does play for the team, when he does work for his team-mates, we know he’s an excellent player.”

The praise arrives in a week when Bellingham’s place in Tuchel’s starting XI was far from certain. The England manager acknowledged before the tournament that Morgan Rogers’s form had made the midfield selection genuinely competitive, and the debate dominated much of England’s pre-tournament build-up.

Bellingham was unapologetic about using the external scrutiny as motivation. “For me personally it was nice to put some of the noise aside and just show my country and my teammates how committed I am to helping us try and win football matches,” he told BBC Sport after the final whistle. “Regardless of the noise outside, that honour doesn’t change for me.”

His performance against Croatia — energetic, disciplined, and decisive in front of goal — will make it considerably harder for Tuchel to leave him out as England push deeper into the tournament.