Jude Bellingham’s most clutch moments: From last-gasp Euros overhead-kick for England to stoppage-time Clasico winners for Real Madrid
The 21-year-old is earning a reputation for showing up in the biggest of moments and providing late magic to inspire both club and country
He may have only just turned 21, but the legend of Jude Bellingham continues to grow after his dramatic, 95th-minute overhead kick saved England from Euro 2024 embarrassment against Slovakia. The Real Madrid midfielder hasn’t been at his best in Germany so far, but that will all be forgotten if he keeps providing moments like his most recent intervention in Gelsenkirchen.
Bellingham has constantly delivered in big moments over the past 12 months, providing game-winning goals and assists to keep Madrid on track towards their La Liga-Champions League double. The ex-Borussia Dortmund man certainly seems to possess the much-discussed ‘clutch gene’, with his penchant for late interventions running all the way back his days as a teenager at Birmingham City.
As such, GOAL has taken a look at Bellingham’s most clutch moments in his young career so far…
Birmingham bedlam
It didn’t take long for Bellingham to make an impact for his boyhood club. The Birmingham academy talent had impressed on his league debut against Swansea City in August 2019, and when Jefferson Montero went down with an injury in the first half of the following week’s game against Stoke City, Bellingham was called upon from the bench.
Making his first appearance at St. Andrews, Bellingham quickly went about showing the Blues’ faithful just why he was earning first-team minutes at the age of 16. Birmingham trailed after an hour, but equalised through Lukas Jutkiewicz in the 73rd minute. Then, three minutes later, Bellingham struck , as his deflected strike wrong-footed a helpless Adam Federici, who could only watch as the ball trickled into the net.
That match-winning moment kick-started a campaign that saw Bellingham become the hottest property within the Championship, and nine months later, he was en route to Germany to join Borussia Dortmund, while his No.22 shirt was being retired by his boyhood club.
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Getty ImagesDortmund delight
While not always deployed in outright attacking positions for Dortmund, Bellingham still managed to pop up with timely goals for the Bundesliga giants. One of his most memorabe came in January 2022, when Bellingham helped turn around a fixture against Eintracht Frankfurt.
Marco Rose’s side still had feint title hopes at the time, and needed a win against a struggling Eintracht side to keep themselves back into the picture. But with Dortmund trailing 2-1 in the 87th minute, hopes of a victory seemed slim at best.
That was until Bellingham rose to meet Thomas Meunier’s teasing cross, and nodded home past a frozen goalkeeper. Mahmoud Dahoud then netted the winner two minutes later, but that wouldn’t have been possible without the England midfielder’s intervention.
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GettyMaking his mark on Madrid
Getafe played well at the Bernabeu on September 2. They may have been without their most apparent attacking threat in deadline-day loan signing Mason Greenwood, but Jose Bordalas’ side deployed an intelligent set up, and spent most of the afternoon frustrating Madrid.
In stoppage-time, though, Bellingham provided. His goal came from another signature late run into the penalty area, as the €103 million (£88m/$110m) summer signing gambled on Lucas Vazquez’s fizzed effort and darted into the box. The goalkeeper could only parry Vazquez’s attempt, and Bellingham was left with an easy finish from close-range for his fifth goal in his first four games for Los Blancos.
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Getty ImagesChampions League late show
Madrid were poor against Union Berlin in their opening Champions League game of 2023-24. Carlo Ancelotti’s side struggled to break down a dogged low block, and seemed poised to settle for a disappointing point to begin their quest for a 15th European Cup. Then, Bellingham showed up.
His goal came via another late run into the box that was timed perfectly to meet a ricochet with the goal gaping. He may have received something of a fortunate bounce, but this wasn’t a goal of luck. Rather, it was the result of finisher’s instincts as Bellingham wasted little time in making an impact on the continental stage for his new club.
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(C)Getty ImagesWelcome to El Clasico!
Barcelona battered Madrid for 45 minutes of the 2023-24 season’s first Clasico. An injury-ravaged Blaugrana turned in their most complete half of the season, and were good value for their 1-0 lead at the break.
But in the second half, Bellingham turned things around. He bagged the equalising goal, scoring with a speculative strike from 25 yards out that flew past a helpless Marc-Andre ter Stegen. And then, in the 92nd minuted, he netted the winner with a deft flick from close range. El Clasico’s new king had arrived.
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GettyEqualising for England
England had turned in a miserable showing against Belgium at Wembley in March. Without Harry Kane up front, Gareth Southgate’s side looked devoid of ideas, and seemed set to slip to back-to-back defeats after losing out to Brazil three days previously.
But Bellingham popped up when it mattered most. The Three Lions pieced together their first real convincing attacking sequence of the game in the 95th minute, and Bellingham snuck into the box to receive James Maddison’s lay-off, which he in turn smashed into the net to avoid an embarrassing home defeat.
The 20-year-old admitted after the game England were far from their best, but it did little to detract from his late heroics – ones that could be crucial to his country’s success at Euro 2024 this summer.
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Getty ImagesClasico King scores again
Bellingham had barely put a foot wrong through 92 minutes of his first Clasico at the Bernabeu. He was everywhere: full of neat touches, timely tackles, and clever passes. He hadn’t, however, had a real sight of goal at any point.
That changed in stoppage-time, though, as he finally got his chance. Bellingham snuck in at the far post to meet Vazquez’s cross, and lashed home from a tricky angle with his weaker foot. It was arguably his biggest Madrid moment yet – the goal that all-but sealed the Liga title for Carlo Ancelotti’s side.
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Getty ImagesEngland’s Euros salvaged
With five of the minimum six minutes of stoppage-time played, England’s hopes of winning Euro 2024 looked dead and buried. An abysmal showing in the last 16 against Slovakia had led to the Three Lions being 1-0 down, with Bellingham one of the many who had under-performed in Gelsenkirchen.
However, when Marc Guehi flicked on Kyle Walker’s desperate long throw, it was Bellingham who managed to contort his body and fire an overhead-kick past Martni Dubravka and into the bottom corner to spark wild celebrations among the Three Lions’ players, staff and fans.
Harry Kane went on to net the England winner early into extra-time, but that would not have been possible without Bellingham’s beauty as he yet again showcased his ability to come up with the almost-impossible when it comes to the crunch.
Source Goal.com
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