Euro 2024

JUDE BELLINGHAM made history as he stole the show for England in their Euro 2024 opener.And the Three Lions hero has now eclipsed Cristiano Ronaldo and Michael Owen as he fired England to a 1-0 win over Serbia.England’s Jude Bellingham made history against SerbiaCredit: APThe star headed the Three Lions into the lead in their Euro 2024 openerCredit: AFPGareth Southgate’s men had their Wags and loved ones cheering them on as they made a dream start to Euro 2024.And it was the star who carried on his incredible form for Real Madrid, where he lifted the Champions League and LaLiga in his first season there, by breaking the deadlock.Bukayo Saka’s deflected cross was headed home by Bellingham from close-range after just 13 minutes in Gelsenkirchen, and that proved to be the only goal of the game.However, from the moment the first whistle went to start the game, the star had already made history. READ MORE ON FOOTBALLAt the age of 20 years and 353 days, Bellingham surpassed England legend Owen (22 years and 170 days old) as the youngest player to play at three major international competitions.His first taste came three years ago at Euro 2020 before he burst on to the global stage with his brilliant World Cup performances.However, there was also another iconic name that Bellingham knocked off a perch.His feat surpassed even Portugal great Ronaldo.Most read in Euro 2024CASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERSHe was 23 years and 123 days old when he made his third appearance at an international tournament.Bellingham now has 30 caps for his country and his goal tally has now moved to four.Watch Pickford’s passionate antics live on BBC as England kick off Euro 2024 campaign with Carragher left in stitchesHow England rated vs Serbia… as Bellingham shines but TWO big names get 5s

JUDE BELLINGHAM was England’s head boy as Gareth Southgate’s side made a winning start in Germany.
The Real Madrid superstar oozed class throughout and broke the deadlock with only 13 minutes played thanks to an excellent header, dispatching Bukayo Saka’s deflected cross.
But, despite the brilliant start, it was a nervy affair here in Gelsenkirchen.
Serbia exerted significant pressure in the second half, with a few narrow escapes for Southgate’s men.
Harry Kane barely had a kick and the Premier League’s player of the year Phil Foden struggled to have any influence on the left of the Three Lions’ front three.
Here’s how SunSport’s Tom Barclay rated England’s stars… with TWO stars getting just a 5.

And over half of them have also come at a major tournament.Bellingham scored the first in the 6-2 win over Iran at the 2022 World Cup.Now he has followed that up by starting Euro 2024 with a bang too.He shone throughout the first period against Serbia, and it even led to ex-Premier League midfielder Jamie O’Hara comparing him to one of the all-time greats.Cridtiano Ronaldo’s first international tournament was as a teen at Euro 2004Credit: GettyEURO 2024 LIVE: KEEP UP TO DATE WITH ALL THE LATEST NEWS FROM GERMANYMichael Owen burst on the scene for England at the 1998 World CupCredit: Times Newspapers LtdHe told talkSPORT: “For me, he is England’s [Zinedine] Zidane.“He’s going to be the closest thing that anyone has seen since Zidane.“Just when I watch him, his physique, the way he stands and the way he gets on the ball, it’s so Zidane-esque.”England survived a late Serbian flurry to hold on to the win, with Bellingham telling BBC afterwards: “I thought they are a very tough side. Very robust, strong and a big group of lads and it was important that we prepared well.“The staff got it right. We prepared all week very well. We knew the roles we had to do. We try to keep to our own standards and try to do our own job.“It’s important that we got off to a good start. Positive inside the camp and onto the next one.READ MORE SUN STORIES“I have got used to getting into the box, getting wide and trying to do that. I got into that habit at Madrid and I wanted to carry my form into the Euros.“It’s a great start for me personally to get my confidence up and to help the lads get the win is the most important thing.”Meet Jude Bellingham’s stunning girlfriend, lingerie model Laura Celia ValkBy Jon Boon
LAURA CELIA VALK is the stunning Dutch fashion model who has stolen Jude Bellingham’s heart.
The Sun exclusively revealed that she’s been staying at his place in Madrid and is completely smitten with him.
Laura boasts a huge social media following and regularly travels the world, enjoying a luxurious lifestyle.
From underwear modelling to showing off Pretty Little Thing’s latest wear, she regularly collaborates with fashion houses around the globe.
Wherever she is, Laura makes sure to drop into Chanel – her favourite designer.
She’s also quite the foodie, with pizza and strawberries being her favourites.
It won’t be long before we see her at the Bernabeu enjoying a prawn sandwich!
Find out more about Laura.
Or read all the latest Jude Bellingham news. More

JUDE BELLINGHAM was England’s head boy as Gareth Southgate’s side made a winning start in Germany.The Real Madrid superstar oozed class throughout and broke the deadlock with only 13 minutes played thanks to an excellent header, dispatching Bukayo Saka’s deflected cross.Jude Bellingham was the star of the show for EnglandCredit: EPAThe midfielder scored a brilliant headed winnerCredit: GettyPhil Foden was far from his bestCredit: PAIt was a repeat of the World Cup in Qatar, when Bellingham netted England’s first goal of the tournament – also with a header.That match was against Iran and Southgate’s men ended up comfortably seeing them off 6-2.But it was a bit nervier here in Gelsenkirchen as Serbia exerted significant pressure in the second half, with a few narrow escapes for Southgate’s men.England dropped back deeper and deeper and lost the control they had had in the first half.READ MORE ON ENGLANDBut ultimately they got the three points required – and just their third clean sheet in their last eight games.Here is how SunSport rated England’s display in their opening game of the Euros.Jordan Pickford – 7Did not have too many saves to make, in truth, but then was alert to cracker of a strike from Dusan Vlahovic late on. Marshalled his defence throughout with his usually vocal approach. His distribution, particularly with long balls, continues to be an asset.Most read in Euro 2024EURO 2024 LIVE: KEEP UP TO DATE WITH ALL THE LATEST NEWS FROM GERMANYBEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERSEngland were in control of the match throughoutKyle Walker – 7Delicious ball in behind from England’s vice captain released Saka in the build-up to our opener. The Manchester City man probably should have had a goal of his own too when racing in behind, but he tried to tee up one of Harry Kane or Phil Foden instead and found neither.John Stones – 6England fans go crazy as Jude Bellingham puts Three Lions 1-0 up vs Serbia in Euro 2024 openerOK display from England’s most experienced centre-back, who just about cleared a dangerous cross late deep into first-half stoppage time. Had missed training on Wednesday due to a stomach bug, confessing he felt utterly dreadful, but this result will have perked him right up.Marc Guehi – 7Looked anything but the weak link in England’s defence that many had portrayed him to be in the build-up. Crystal Palace man Guehi was sharp against two top strikers in Mitrovic and Dusan Vlahovic, fully justifying Gareth Southgate’s faith in him.Kieran Trippier – 7The Newcastle man may not be the tallest but he still won plenty of high balls with some brave headers. He offered real width at times, flying up the left-hand side, despite naturally being a right-back.Declan Rice – 8A mature and disciplined performance from one quarter of England’s leadership group that also includes Harry Kane, Walker and Bellingham.Rice played in front of the defence, unlike the No8 role he has had of late for Arsenal, and was a calming presence when mopping up throughout.Trent showed he’s a central character for England… he deserves to keep spot, says Wilshere
THIS game felt a bit like an audition for Trent Alexander-Arnold in centre midfield, writes SunSport columnist Jack Wilshere.
I think he passed it and deserves another chance to show all the qualities that he can bring to the role.
I was pleased when I saw Trent in the starting line-up.
It’s a little bit braver than we have normally seen from Gareth Southgate and I like that.
It was: ‘Go on, go and play!’ It didn’t necessarily work out like that but that wasn’t Trent’s fault.
Southgate was experimenting with him in there, seeing if it worked.
If we get later in the tournament against the big teams, you will need someone who has played in there a few times and understands the position a bit.
The combination between Trent, Kyle Walker and Bukayo Saka is a promising one.
You see Trent naturally drift over to that right side and receive it almost like a full-back.
It’s interesting what happens then with Walker.
He was still getting involved in and around the outside, which was good to see, and it was Walker who got forward to help create the Jude Bellingham goal.
That link-up is something we need to exploit more. We should probably have used it more last night as well.
At the start, he was a little bit shaky. He gave the ball away a couple of times, and one of them led to that decent chance for Aleksandar Mitrovic.
When he plays for Liverpool he comes inside. But it’s different when you’re in there from the start. It’s 360 degree pressure, from all sides.
I always found international football that bit quicker. You’ll often receive it with your back to the game and you’ve scanned, but you need to get more on the half turn to see what’s coming.
But it was difficult for Trent, especially in the first half, for him to show his range of passing. When you’re playing against a back five, with four in front, and they’re stubborn and just waiting . . . it is very hard.
There’s no space in behind, they’re very tight and organised.
And when the ball is going over your head, your job then becomes jumping on second balls, disrupting and trying to shield the big two up front.
Trent’s positioning was good and he made some good interceptions. I think he can — and should — hold on to the ball a bit more, draw the pressure, and then play the ball forward.
If someone comes to him, that frees up space for  someone else. And he and Declan Rice have the ability to find Bellingham and Phil Foden through the lines. I would like to have seen more of that. As the game opens up, Trent is a player who can pick the right pass.
Especially in transition, like he did with a lovely one down the side for Saka in the first half and another early in the second.
It was also good to see him get forward for a decent long-range shot.
But Trent was not helped by England’s performance in the  second half. We weren’t aggressive enough, we didn’t press well enough.
Trent’s audition lasted just under 70 minutes in the end. I believe  it is something Gareth should  persist with.
He is more than intelligent enough to work it out. And as the tournament goes on, I’m sure he will be fine in there.

Trent Alexander-Arnold – 7An all-action display from Liverpool’s hybrid full-back, who started in the middle of midfield. One particular first-half interception almost sparked a goal for Kyle Walker – though Trent was also a tad fortunate at one pont when his miscontol was not punished by Mitrovic who fired wide.Jude Bellingham – 9What a player and what a privilege it is that we get to call him ours. Starting his third major tournament aged just 20, the Real Madrid superstar proved he belongs on this stage with a masterful performance which included a brilliantly brave header to give England the lead.Bellingham is becoming England’s talismanThe Real Madrid star was the difference between England winning and losingBukayo Saka – 8England’s best player on the night after Bellingham, Saka was electric down the right hand side, having his opposing defender on toast several times.It was his deflected cross which assisted Bellingham’s opener. Was taken off with 15 minutes to go, having recently come back from a groin injury.Harry Kane – 5England’s captain – and darling of Germany after his incredible impact with Bayern Munich this season – had a quiet game. He must have thought he had killed the game off when rising for a late header, but it was brilliantly tipped onto the crossbar.Harry Kane was quiet but saw a header touched onto the crossbarCredit: GettyPhil Foden – 5Not at his sharpest. The Premier League footballer of the year had a few moments where if his touch and passing had been on point then it could have led to something, but they were not. The curious case of how to translate his Manchester City form to England continues.SubsConor Gallagher (for Alexander-Arnold, 69) – 6Came on to try to shore things up after sustained Serbian pressure in the second half.READ MORE SUN STORIESJarrod Bowen (for Bukayo Saka, 76) – 7Surprisingly it was the West Ham man given the nod when an impressive Saka was replaced. But Bowen made an instant impact teeing up Kane for a header, which was brilliantly tipped onto the bar.Kobbie Mainoo (for Jude Bellingham, 86) – 6Manchester United youngster, like Gallagher, came on to help see it out. More

WE used to compare Jude Bellingham to other English footballers. To Wayne Rooney in 2004, to Paul Gascoigne in 1990. Jude Bellingham heads England in front on 13 minutesCredit: ReutersBellingham produced his trademark celebrationCredit: EPABut now we’re beyond all that. Bellingham is beyond comparison with any other player who has worn the Three Lions in the last half-century. If you’re old enough to have seen Bobby Charlton or Stanley Matthews then have a chat among yourselves. But watching Bellingham is more like witnessing Muhammad Ali or Tiger Woods in their pomp. A man who is so much better than anyone else he is competing with – and with the self-awareness to know it. READ MORE IN FOOTBALLIf Bellingham didn’t have such swaggering arrogance, he wouldn’t be the game-changer he is. His thumping early header set up an opening-night victory over Serbia just as his thumping early header had set up a thrashing of Iran in the first match of England’s World Cup campaign in Qatar.It was a classic centre-forward’s goal. But then Bellingham can be a centre-forward, he can be a No10, he can play on the left, he can play deep. This fella has more guises than Mr Benn.Still a fortnight shy of his 21st birthday, Bellingham is the on-field leader of Gareth Southgate’s England team.Most read in Euro 2024BEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERSHe’s their best passer, their best ball-winner, their best creator and since moving to Real Madrid, he’s challenging Harry Kane for the mantle of England’s best finisher too. There has been debate about moving Bellingham from a No10 role to accommodate Phil Foden, the Footballer of the Year and Premier League perma-champion who rarely sparkles for England.Watch Pickford’s passionate antics live on BBC as England kick off Euro 2024 campaign with Carragher left in stitchesEURO 2024 LIVE: KEEP UP TO DATE WITH ALL THE LATEST NEWS FROM GERMANYBut you build teams around Bellingham; everyone else falls into line. England were not entirely convincing here – Kane was largely a spectator, Foden was unimpressive and Serbia gave their defence some nervy moments. Yet they won their opening match of a tournament for a fourth consecutive time under Southgate – and they are as good as through to the knock-out stages as a result.  Gelsenkirchen was the place where Rooney stamped, Cristiano Ronaldo winked, England lost another penalty shoot-out and the Wag circus packed up and left town at the 2006 World Cup. But forget the bad old days of the ‘Golden Generation’. England are a serious team under Southgate. Much of the optimism surrounding their chances seemed to have dissipated in recent weeks.How England rated vs Serbia… as Bellingham shines but TWO big names get 5s
JUDE BELLINGHAM was England’s head boy as Gareth Southgate’s side made a winning start in Germany.
The Real Madrid superstar oozed class throughout and broke the deadlock with only 13 minutes played thanks to an excellent header, dispatching Bukayo Saka’s deflected cross.
But, despite the brilliant start, it was a nervy affair here in Gelsenkirchen.
Serbia exerted significant pressure in the second half, with a few narrow escapes for Southgate’s men.
Harry Kane barely had a kick and the Premier League’s player of the year Phil Foden struggled to have any influence on the left of the Three Lions’ front three.
Here’s how SunSport’s Tom Barclay rated England’s stars… with TWO stars getting just a 5.

Harry Maguire used to be seen as a problem but no Harry Maguire was a bigger problem still. Southgate’s excessive loyalty to his favourites had been holding England back but when he axed several of those favourites, his squad lacked experience.Trent Alexander-Arnold was too good not to play but then when he turned up in central midfield there were questions over his lack of gametime in the engine room. Still, all the fretting since the friendly defeat by Iceland had not taken into account one thing – England are a different team when Bellingham is playing. He takes a sad song and makes it better, as England’s supporters sang with their mass rendition of ‘Hey Jude’ after his goal. England’s fans had colonised the vast majority of the 62,000-capacity Veltins Arena, there had been a blast of Football’s Coming Home in the warm-up and the traditional booing of national anthems and then we were off. Southgate’s team were patient for 13 minutes, pawing at their opponents, casing the joint. It all felt too slow – but then Kyle Walker thrust a pass through the inside-right channel, Bukayo Saka darted onto it and his deflected cross was met by a close-range header from Bellingham, who had timed his charge perfectly.He cupped his ears at the Serbian fans behind the goal. He doesn’t give a stuff. After scoring at Hampden Park last autumn, he stood and stretched out his arms like Christ the Redeemer, he’s done similar in a Clasico in Barcelona.   He doesn’t just enjoy beating people, he likes to rub their noses in it. Like Ali standing over a stricken Sonny Liston. It’s not a typical English trait but it’s beautiful to see. Why not show arrogance when you have so much to be arrogant about? There was a minor scare when Alexander-Arnold lost possession deep in England’s half but Aleksandar Mitrovic drilled his shot into the side-netting.  The Liverpool man soon won a fine tackle and Saka – in effervescent form – fed Walker, who bore down on goal but chose to cross when he should have shot. Bellingham celebrates with Trent Alexander-ArnoldCredit: APThe England star put himself about in GelsenkirchenCredit: GettyThen came a moment when Bellingham pinged a first-time pass 30 yards across field to Walker.The ball had gone backwards but the technique was so delicious that the crowd broke into spontaneous applause, the sort you’d expect to greet a crisp drive to the cover boundary at Lord’s or a backhand down the line at Wimbledon.  Soon Bellingham was beating his man with a swivel and a shuffle on the edge of his own box, driving forward and winning a free-kick – the kid from the city of the Bull Ring, shaping up like a matador.  Kane had touched the ball just twice in the first half and after the interval it was Serbia doing much of the attacking. Jarrod Bowen replaced Saka and instantly centred for Kane, whose header was pushed on to the bar by Predrag Rajkovic.Then Pickford tipped over a fierce drive from Dusan Vlahovic. READ MORE SUN STORIESBellingham was often defending deep but occasionally he popped up on the left, performing step-overs and feints. If England are to win this tournament, Bellingham will be the chief reason why.Trent showed he’s a central character for England… he deserves to keep spot, says Wilshere
THIS game felt a bit like an audition for Trent Alexander-Arnold in centre midfield, writes SunSport columnist Jack Wilshere.
I think he passed it and deserves another chance to show all the qualities that he can bring to the role.
I was pleased when I saw Trent in the starting line-up.
It’s a little bit braver than we have normally seen from Gareth Southgate and I like that.
It was: ‘Go on, go and play!’ It didn’t necessarily work out like that but that wasn’t Trent’s fault.
Southgate was experimenting with him in there, seeing if it worked.
If we get later in the tournament against the big teams, you will need someone who has played in there a few times and understands the position a bit.
The combination between Trent, Kyle Walker and Bukayo Saka is a promising one.
You see Trent naturally drift over to that right side and receive it almost like a full-back.
It’s interesting what happens then with Walker.
He was still getting involved in and around the outside, which was good to see, and it was Walker who got forward to help create the Jude Bellingham goal.
That link-up is something we need to exploit more. We should probably have used it more last night as well.
At the start, he was a little bit shaky. He gave the ball away a couple of times, and one of them led to that decent chance for Aleksandar Mitrovic.
When he plays for Liverpool he comes inside. But it’s different when you’re in there from the start. It’s 360 degree pressure, from all sides.
I always found international football that bit quicker. You’ll often receive it with your back to the game and you’ve scanned, but you need to get more on the half turn to see what’s coming.
But it was difficult for Trent, especially in the first half, for him to show his range of passing. When you’re playing against a back five, with four in front, and they’re stubborn and just waiting . . . it is very hard.
There’s no space in behind, they’re very tight and organised.
And when the ball is going over your head, your job then becomes jumping on second balls, disrupting and trying to shield the big two up front.
Trent’s positioning was good and he made some good interceptions. I think he can — and should — hold on to the ball a bit more, draw the pressure, and then play the ball forward.
If someone comes to him, that frees up space for  someone else. And he and Declan Rice have the ability to find Bellingham and Phil Foden through the lines. I would like to have seen more of that. As the game opens up, Trent is a player who can pick the right pass.
Especially in transition, like he did with a lovely one down the side for Saka in the first half and another early in the second.
It was also good to see him get forward for a decent long-range shot.
But Trent was not helped by England’s performance in the  second half. We weren’t aggressive enough, we didn’t press well enough.
Trent’s audition lasted just under 70 minutes in the end. I believe  it is something Gareth should  persist with.
He is more than intelligent enough to work it out. And as the tournament goes on, I’m sure he will be fine in there. More