Jude Bellingham has firmly written his name in the English football record books. In a frenetic and stunning 10-goal thriller against France during Saturday’s World Cup third-place playoff, the 23-year-old midfielder produced a moment of absolute genius to seal a 6-4 win for England and become the country’s top single-tournament scorer.With his late sensational solo goal at Hard Rock Stadium, Bellingham has reached seven goals in this World Cup campaign. According to sports analytics Opta, those seven strikes are now the most scored by an England player in a major international tournament, surpassing the legendary six goals of Gary Lineker (1986 World Cup) and Harry Kane (2018 World Cup and the ongoing edition of 2026).The historic milestone came in the dying minutes of a wild second half. France produced a fierce comeback, driven by a record-breaking performance from Kylian Mbappé, which pulled the scoreline back to a tight 5-4. With the game hanging in the balance in stoppage time, Bellingham took matters into his own hands.Receiving the ball near the halfway line, the Real Madrid powerhouse aggressively drove towards the French defence. Displaying a unique blend of raw power, agility, and elite technical skill, Bellingham skipped past three sliding French defenders, who were cut down in the penalty box. Facing the oncoming goalkeeper, he calmly put a low, composed finish into the bottom corner. The brilliant solo strike put the final exclamation point on a memorable match, securing the bronze medal for the Three Lions.Bellingham’s path to this record is not particularly unusual. After being dropped from the starting lineup in the immediate build-up to the World Cup by manager Thomas Tuchel, his place was heavily questioned. However, the midfielder responded with several performances in the tournament, including critical doubles against Mexico and Norway before his historic closing act against France.While Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka drew heavy praise for scoring a stunning hat-trick earlier in the game, Bellingham’s record-breaking seventh goal stole the headlines. As England ended its campaign in the United States on a winning note, the young midfielder’s historic goal-scoring goal set an entirely new standard for future generations of English talent.v