Jude Bellingham has finally received a World Cup award for his seven-goal campaign, and his reaction suggests the trophy came as a surprise. The Real Madrid midfielder shared a picture of the Bronze Boot on Instagram and wrote: “Bronze boot from the World Cup… Didn’t know it was a thing, but thanks anyway,” as reported by SPORTbible.
The Bronze Boot recognises third place in the tournament’s scoring standings. Bellingham’s seven goals helped England finish third after losing to Argentina in the semi-finals and beating France in the third-place match. It was a striking return for a midfielder, and the highest goal total by an England player at a single major men’s international tournament.
Why Bellingham finished ahead of Haaland
Kylian Mbappé won the Golden Boot with ten goals, while Lionel Messi finished second with eight. Bellingham and Norway’s Erling Haaland scored seven apiece, but Bellingham took third place because he had one assist and Haaland had none. Assists decide the order when players finish level on goals, according to The Guardian’s final scoring table.
The tie-break meant Bellingham did more than finish level with Haaland in the scoring charts. His contribution to a teammate’s goal earned him the individual third-place award, despite the two players ending the tournament with the same number of goals.
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A belated reminder of England’s summer
The award arrives more than two months after the World Cup final. Bellingham was central to England’s run, scoring twice against Mexico in the knockout stage and twice more against Norway in the quarter-finals. His seven-goal tally also included a strike in England’s 6–4 win over France for third place.
His amused Instagram caption gives the story its twist, but the prize reflects a serious individual achievement. Only Mbappé and Messi scored more at the tournament, and Bellingham’s assist proved decisive when he and Haaland could not be separated by goals.
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