Bellingham Sets England World Cup Goal Record in 6-4 France Win
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- Jude Bellingham scored seven goals across the tournament to set the record for most goals by an Englishman at a World Cup, with Howell rating him 9/10 and calling him "England's talisman" with "superstar quality".
- England were eliminated in the semi-final by Argentina before beating France 6-4 in the third-place play-off, the only top-three finish in their recent major-tournament history.
- Harry Kane delivered six goals before the quarter-final but faded against Argentina after the Mexico and Norway extra-time matches "seemed to take a lot out of him," earning an 8.5 from Howell.
- Jordan Henderson became the first Englishman to feature at four World Cups but the tournament "ended in bizarre fashion" when he fell over an advertising hoarding and broke his arm after the Mexico win; he earned the squad's lowest rating at 4.
- Marc Guehi and Djed Spence tied as the highest-rated defenders at 8, with Howell flagging Spence's two-way flexibility as one of England's "breakout" stories of the tournament.
- Jordan Pickford was described as "erratic" overall despite his best performance coming in the semi-final loss to Argentina, where he still conceded the decisive Lautaro Martinez goal; Howell rated him 6.
- Thomas Tuchel's squad choices drew repeated scrutiny from Howell, who noted the calls to take John Stones despite fitness issues, the Livramento-replacement debate over Trevoh Chalobah, and that "Watkins' ability to run in behind... should have been used against Argentina."
Why it matters: The ratings crystallize a tournament defined by individual brilliance and structural doubt: Bellingham's record haul papered over a defense Howell rates as erratic and a frontline where Watkins played only six minutes in one match before the Argentina semi. With Tuchel's squad decisions from Stones to Chalobah to Mainoo (who never featured) repeatedly flagged, the post-mortem hands England's manager a clear list of selection and tactical questions before the next cycle.
