Jude Bellingham had a World Cup debut to remember as the 19-year-old Liverpool target scored his first goals for England in a 6-2 win against Group B rivals Iran.
The Borussia Dortmund superstar opened the scoring with a wonderful header to get England on their way to a historic World Cup win, with Bellingham one of the best players on the pitch as Gareth Southgate’s side sent a clear message to their opposition in Qatar.
Indeed, the World Cup is one of the best tools in football to boost a player’s value, and the CIES Football Observatory seemed to have taken note of that ahead of the competition, with Bellingham rated as the most valuable player in the entire competition.
With a valuation of €202m (£175m), the Liverpool-linked midfielder is worth more by CIES than the likes of France talisman Kylian Mbappe, Spainish wonderkids Pedri and Gavi and even Bellingham’s England teammate Phil Foden, who started on the bench against Iran on Monday.
Bellingham can increase value further with England at the World Cup
Liverpool’s interest in Bellingham has been well-documented here on HITC Football, with the Reds set to make the Dortmund maestro their main target for next summer as Jurgen Klopp looks to overhaul the midfield with a blockbuster move. However, the teenager could complicate matters with his performances at the World Cup.
As mentioned, the biggest stage in football has the potential to inflate a player’s price tag by quite some degree. And whilst Bellingham is already tipped to leave Dortmund for a world-record fee for a midfielder in 2023, the youngster’s displays for England could push things to an extreme that even Liverpool can’t match.
Bellingham might be the Reds’ most desired target next year. But if the midfielder continues to win the world over with his performances in Qatar, Liverpool could be pushed into a bind where they will simply be unable to match Dortmund’s price tag for the 19-year-old.
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