Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham breaks Wayne Rooney's England record

Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham broke Wayne Rooney's record for England in their 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers clash against Albania on Friday. He helped his side win 2-0 at Wembley Stadium to earn three points.

Bellingham features in Thomas Tuchel's first starting XI as The Three Lions' manager. It was the 21-year-old's 41st senior appearance. He overtook Wayne Rooney for the most senior appearances for England at 21 or younger. The Manchester United legend made 40 appearances.

Jude Bellingham made his senior debut for the national side in November 2020 at 17 in a 3-0 win over Ireland in a friendly match. He has since made 41 appearances, scoring six goals and providing 10 assists.

The Real Madrid man continued his good form against Albania on Friday as well. He got the ball in midfield and went past a couple of players before putting in a brilliant through ball for Myles Lewis-Skelly. The debutant scored to put his side 1-0 up in the 20th minute.

Harry Kane scored his record-extending 70th goal for the side in the 77th minute to secure a 2-0 win. They now sit atop Group K of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers. The group also has Latvia, Serbia, and Andorra along with England and Albania.

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Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham assesses England's first game under Thomas Tuchel

While England beat Albania 2-0, Jude Bellingham spoke about things they need to improve under Thomas Tuchel moving forward. Assessing his side's performance, the Real Madrid midfielder said (via England Football):

“I think we had clear ideas on what we wanted to do and how we wanted to play. We tried to stick to that as much as possible. I know it's difficult when you play against a team that sits so low and is so compact.

“At times the game takes you a different direction. You want to get on the ball and move them around but generally we stuck to the plan really well. We had a really good week of training and it's a good way to start the new era.”

Assessing things to work upon, Jude Bellingham added:

“Keeping the rhythm, keeping the tempo and being more clinical. I had a couple but the goalie made some brilliant saves but it'd be nice to finish off these games at home early. There's still so much to work on. The more we play together, the more we stick together as a group and the more we'll learn and the better we'll get over time.”

Jude Bellingham has been in terrific form this season, recording 11 goals and 11 assists in 38 games across competitions for Real Madrid.