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Sun, Nov 24, 2024 | Jumada al-Awwal 23, 1446 | DXB
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Football: Real Madrid-bound Bellingham confident England will deliver major tournament win
The 19-year-old midfielder is set to become the third most expensive teenager in football transfer history behind Kylian Mbappe and Joao Felix
English midfielder Jude Bellingham will move from Borussia Dortmund to Real Madrid for a fee in excess of €100 million (USD 107 million), - AFP
Jude Bellingham believes England are on the cusp of a major tournament win at Euro 2024 after three near misses under Gareth Southgate.
Real Madrid-bound midfielder Bellingham is just one of a number of young stars available to Southgate in a talented squad that will be among the favourites for next year's European Championship in Germany.
The full details of Jude Bellingham's move from Borussia Dortmund have not yet been announced by Real Madrid, but BBC Sport previously reported that the fee is 103m euros (£88.5m).
With add-ons, that figure could reach €133.9m (£115m).
That would make the 19-year-old England midfielder the third most expensive teenager in football history, behind Kylian Mbappe and Joao Felix.
Bellingham, who joined Dortmund from Birmingham City in July 2020, was one of England's top performers at last year's World Cup.
England were beaten 2-1 by France in the quarter-finals of last year's World Cup.
In 2021 they lost the final of the Euro on penalties to Italy and made the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup in Southgate's first major tournament in charge.
"England fans can feel it themselves, They're ambitious, but they're not stupid. There's a reason for the kind of expectation and the hype around the team at the minute," said Bellingham, who has joined up with the Three Lions squad despite an knee injury that will keep him out of Euro 2024 qualifiers against Malta and North Macedonia.
"The truth is that we are delivering. We'd like to deliver a trophy and a tournament win, of course, but I think there's steps to doing that.
"A lot of the great international teams in the past didn't win straight away. They had to build for years before they managed to get over the line.
"I think that there's something similar happening with this England team now. I wouldn't say patience is the word but just stick with us because we'll deliver."
Southgate's men were more than a match for France for long spells of their World Cup last eight exit in Doha.
Harry Kane blasted a crucial late penalty over the bar as Les Bleus clung on to eventually reach the final, where they lost out on penalties to Argentina.
But Bellingham is hopeful England will be even better for the experience of that disappointment.
"The way we went out was disappointing, but you take confidence in the fact that you can go toe-to-toe with one of the better teams in Europe," he added.
"It stands you in good stead when you know there's not many better teams on paper - you'd like to think - that are better than us.
"So, you take that confidence and you take the experience that we've gained from the last few.
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"The goal is always to try and win it. That should be the goal for all of us going into it and that's what we'll try and do."
England are well on course to qualify for Euro 2024 after beginning their campaign with wins over Italy and Ukraine.
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