He is already proving that he has what it takes to help fill the huge gap left by Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Juude Bellingham has turned out to be one of Europe’s elite strikers, alongside big names like  Erling Haaland, Kylian Mbappe, and Vinicius Jr.

On Tuesday, the 20-year-old English midfielder added another goal to the five he has scored in four games this season for Real Madrid. While the 3-1 win over Scotland was simply pleasing, Bellingham has made an impressive start to the season. He even arranged another one for Harry Kane on Tuesday in Glasgow.

“For a young man to have that kind of football mentality, I love watching him,” said former Liverpool player Graeme Souness, now a TV pundit. “Jude Bellingham is the real deal.”

His goals helped make up for Karim Benzema’s absence.

Bellingham arrived at Real Madrid from Borussia Dortmund in June for a fee that could reach US$139 million. His goals helped compensate for the lack of Karim Benzema, who was part of the exodus of stars who headed to Saudi Arabia in recent months.

At a time when Messi and Ronaldo have moved to the United States and Saudi Arabia respectively, Bellingham is among the group of players establishing themselves as the new generation of international icons.

Harry Maguire, however, appears to be heading in the opposite direction.

Still, the most expensive defender in football history, after Manchester United paid £80 million (then $97 million) for him in 2019, Maguire has reached a disastrous level in his career.

He was dropped by Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag and stripped of the captaincy as his form collapsed last year. Maguire was expected to change clubs during the current transfer window but an expected move to West Ham fell through, meaning he is likely to face another season on the sidelines.

Maguire scored a goal against Scotland this Tuesday.

And yet, this could be a concern for England coach Gareth Southgate, who has already recovered from his difficulties and wants his athletes to be ready to take the lead until the next European Championship. On Tuesday, Maguire scored against Scotland.

Maguire has become a figure of ridicule among some supporters, while Southgate is also unhappy about the treatment he has received in sections of the media. He was mocked by Scottish fans in an intense atmosphere at Hampden Park as the two sides revived world football’s oldest rivalry, dating back to 1872.

“From the point of view of a Scottish fan, I understand and have no problem with what they did,” said Southgate. “It’s a problem with his ugly therapy over a long period of time, frankly.

“I’ve never been able to identify with a player being treated the way he is – not by Scottish fans, not by our own pundits, commentators, whatever. They did something that goes beyond anything I’ve ever seen.”

Despite Tuesday’s defeat, Scotland are on a high after winning their opening five games in Euro 2024 qualifying. The Scots need just two points from their remaining three matches to secure a place at the tournament in Germany.

He made history by becoming the youngest player to score in a European Championship qualifier

A Escócia defrontará posteriormente a Espanha, que derrotou a Geórgia por 7-1 e Chipre por 6-0. O adolescente Lamine Yamal fez história ao se tornar o jogador mais jovem a marcar nas eliminatórias do Campeonato Europeu aos 16 anos e 57 dias contra a Geórgia.

França, Portugal, Bélgica e Áustria também estão em vias de qualificação.

Sob o comando do técnico Roberto Martinez, Portugal teve seu melhor início de campanha nas eliminatórias europeias com um recorde de 100% após seis jogos e registrou sua maior vitória de todos os tempos em uma partida agressiva na goleada por 9 a 0 sobre Luxemburgo.

A Alemanha, entretanto, só pode estar grata por ter acesso automatizado ao evento como país anfitrião. Hansi Flick foi demitido do cargo de técnico após derrota por 4 a 1 para o Japão em jogo agradável.

Flick já estava sob pressão depois que os alemães foram eliminados na fase de grupos do ano passado da Copa do Mundo – a segunda vez consecutiva que os tetracampeões foram eliminados na primeira rodada.

A derrota para o Japão prolongou uma sequência de cinco jogos sem vitórias e provocou vaias da torcida em Wolfsburg. Mas houve uma reação imediata à saída de Flick, quando a Alemanha derrotou a França, finalista da Copa do Mundo, por 2 a 1, em outro jogo na terça-feira.