Jude Bellingham has named the two voices that held him up through a punishing stretch with England, and neither was a teammate. In an interview with British Vogue, the 23-year-old revealed that David Beckham sent him a private message during a particularly difficult period with the national team.
“Sometimes it’s not the message, but it’s the messenger that makes it more valuable,” Bellingham told British Vogue. “You’ve got someone on your side who knows what the score is.”
Ian Wright: ‘I always get really nervous when he messages me’
Ian Wright’s presence has been just as steady, though Bellingham described reading his texts with a mix of warmth and dread.
“I always get really nervous when he messages me. I always think, ‘What have they said about me now?’” Bellingham told British Vogue. “I always see him at the England games and will give him a hug or blow him a kiss.”
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Wright publicly pushed back at reporting that branded Bellingham divisive and dissected his body language, dismissing a widely circulated story that the midfielder had failed to celebrate a Harry Kane goal against Albania as a complete fabrication.
Tuchel: ‘We are in a good place’
The early relationship between Bellingham and Thomas Tuchel was prickly. Tuchel apologised last year after admitting his mother had found some of Bellingham’s on-field behaviour “repulsive”, and the midfielder subsequently lost his place before being restored to the starting lineup at the World Cup.
“It was a bit of an up and down of course, but we are in a good place,” Tuchel said at the squad announcement on 6 November. “I love to be his coach, he’s a top player, a very influential player and I think it goes both ways.”
Bellingham scored freely at the 2026 World Cup in North America, where England finished third after beating France 6-4 in Miami on 18 July. His younger brother Jobe, who plays for Borussia Dortmund, joined him in the senior squad for the first time this month. Tuchel said he had spoken to Jude about his brother, adding: “I was aware it was always his dream.”
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England host Croatia at Wembley on Thursday and travel to face Spain on Sunday with a Nations League quarter-final spot within reach. Kick-off at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano is at 7:45pm local time on 15 November.
