England midfielder Jude Bellingham continued his remarkable rise on the international stage by becoming the youngest European player to feature in four major tournaments, capping the milestone with a goal in the Three Lions’ thrilling 4-2 victory over Croatia in their FIFA World Cup 2026 opener.The 22-year-old star etched his name into the record books once again, surpassing Germany’s Jamal Musiala to become the youngest men’s player from Europe to appear in four major international tournaments — the FIFA World Cup and UEFA European Championship combined.
Bellingham rewrites European record books
Bellingham, aged 22 years and 353 days, reached the landmark after previously representing England at UEFA Euro 2020, the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar and UEFA Euro 2024 in Germany.His latest appearance added another chapter to an already extraordinary career that began when he made his England debut at just 17 years and 136 days, making him the third-youngest player ever to represent the Three Lions behind Theo Walcott and Wayne Rooney.The Real Madrid midfielder moved ahead of Musiala (23 years, 108 days) in the all-time list, with Spain’s Pedri and Belgium’s Jeremy Doku also among the youngest players to reach four major tournaments.Youngest European players to play in four major tournaments
- Jude Bellingham (England): 22y 353d
- Jamal Musiala (Germany): 23y 108d
- Pedri (Spain): 23y 202d
- Jérémy Doku (Belgium): 24y 19d
- Michael Owen (England): 24y 182d
- Lukas Podolski (Germany): 25y 9d
Goal seals memorable night against Croatia
Bellingham’s historic achievement came on a night when England produced one of the most entertaining performances of the opening round. Harry Kane struck twice before second-half goals from Bellingham and Marcus Rashford sealed a 4-2 victory over Croatia in Group L.The midfielder’s contribution underlined his growing importance to Thomas Tuchel’s side, with Bellingham insisting that wearing the England shirt comes with immense responsibility.“It’s my responsibility to my team and my country to give everything I have when I cross the line and when I wear that badge on the front, that No. 10 on the back, I want to give everything I have, with and without the ball, to the team,” Bellingham said.
Eyes on another milestone
Despite a demanding club campaign, Bellingham said he always finds extra motivation when representing England.“It’s been a long season for me. I’ve probably missed more camps than I would have liked, more training than I would have liked, but I like to think I’ve always got something in me where I know when it comes to this time, I’ll step up for my team,” he added.Bellingham could bring up his 50th England cap when the Three Lions face Ghana next.
