Henderson defends Bellingham as England's World Cup X factor amid media criticism

Jordan Henderson has come out strongly in defence of Jude Bellingham ahead of England’s World Cup Group L opener against Croatia on Wednesday, insisting the 22-year-old is widely misunderstood and brings something “really special” to Thomas Tuchel’s squad.

Bellingham’s ability is rarely in doubt, but the Real Madrid midfielder has attracted criticism at times for his on-pitch behaviour and attitude. Henderson, who has returned to the England fold under Tuchel as a senior leader in the camp, pushed back firmly on that narrative.

“I honestly couldn’t speak highly enough of him,” the Brentford midfielder said. “I know a lot gets written in the media and I find it hard to read sometimes, because I just know how big an influence he is on this team, how good a team-mate he is off the field. What he gives us is just something really special. I think he really gives us the X factor in our team.”

Henderson, who becomes the first Englishman to be selected for seven major tournaments, also highlighted Bellingham’s big-game pedigree. “He’s had big moments in his career, he’s a big game player. He’s got experience in tournaments, so he’s a huge, huge player for us in this tournament.”

Bellingham is expected to compete with Morgan Rogers for the No 10 role against Croatia, with this his fourth major tournament at just 22. Henderson pointed to the younger player’s maturity off the pitch as further evidence of his value, noting how Bellingham looked after fringe squad members during England’s warm-weather camp in Florida. Bellingham also handed 17-year-old Rio Ngumoha his legacy cap following the teenager’s debut against New Zealand in Tampa.

Henderson was equally direct about the accuracy of the coverage surrounding Bellingham. “I do think a lot of the media and the stuff that gets written isn’t all true, to be honest, or a lot of it is actually untrue. But for us, we all know what he can do and how much we all love him inside the camp, and I suppose that’s the main thing.”

The mutual respect runs both ways. Bellingham has already defended Henderson’s place in Tuchel’s squad, saying critics of the 35-year-old “don’t have a clue what they are talking about” and describing him as the glue that holds the group together. Henderson, who is expected to feature primarily as a substitute, was characteristically measured about his own role, saying the positive culture in the camp is a collective responsibility rather than one that falls to any single player.