"Without doubt, a future captain" - Gary Lineker lauds England superstar's qualities on and off the pitch after 2022 FIFA World Cup heroics

Former England striker Gary Lineker has hailed midfielder Jude Bellingham after the Three Lions' exit from the 2022 FIFA World Cup yesterday (December 10).

Gareth Southgate's side were beaten 2-1 by France at the Al Bayt Stadium in the quarterfinals. Goals from Aurelien Tchouameni and Olivier Giroud either side of a Harry Kane penalty were enough for the Les Bleus to reach the last four.

Kane, having scored a penalty in the game earlier, missed the second, with England trailing 2-1. While it was a heartbreaking loss for the Three Lions, they have had plenty of positives from their 2022 FIFA World Cup campaign. One of them was Bellingham, who has established himself as an exceptional talent at just 19.

After their loss against France, the Borussia Dortmund midfielder shared his thoughts on the game. Lineker reacted to a video of the same, lauding the youngster's mentality and saying that he could be a future captain. He tweeted:

"Without doubt, a future England captain. Such an impressive young man, on and off the pitch."

Bellingham scored a goal and provided an assist in five games at the 2022 FIFA World Cup. His tenacity off the ball, coupled with his ability on the ball, was excellent throughout the campaign as he announced his arrival on the biggest stage.

---

Jude Bellingham reacts to England's loss against France in 2022 FIFA World Cup

The Borussia Dortmund midfielder reacted to the loss against France, saying that the Three Lions were the better team in the game. He told ITV:

"In my opinion, we were the better team on the day. I think we definitely deserved extra time. Obviously Harry was really unlucky with the penalty; he's scored tons for us in the past. Sometimes that's how it goes in football, and we've got to look ahead, but take the lessons that we've learned from today and move forward."

England had 16 shots on goal, with eight on target, while France only had eight shots in the game. However, the Three Lions' profligacy saw them get eliminated from the tournament while France lived to fight another day.

The holders will now take on Morocco on Wednesday (December 14), who stunned Portugal 1-0 in the quarterfinals.