ON Friday evening, it was Germany’s Jamal Musiala flying the flag for European football’s new generation as he scored in a stellar performance against Scotland. On Saturday, at the age of just 16, Spain’s Lamine Yamal produced a standout display as he became the youngest player ever to feature at a European Championships.

On Sunday, though, it was the brightest star in the continent’s footballing galaxy that shone through. Jude Bellingham is no stranger to the biggest of stages, having spearheaded Real Madrid’s triumph in La Liga as well as their victory in the Champions League. Even by his own remarkably high standards, however, Sunday’s performance against Serbia was a potentially career-defining moment for the 20-year-old, who increasingly looks to have the footballing world at his feet.

Bellingham has impressed with England before, most notably when single-handedly running last autumn’s friendly against Scotland, but prior to Sunday, he hadn’t seized the moment in a game that really mattered. Clearly, that has now changed.

It wasn’t just the excellence of Bellingham’s performance that stood out in Gelsenkirchen, although that was clearly there, with his match-winning header, dazzling dribbles and energetic dominance at the heart of midfield. It was more the way that the youngster demanded possession and carried himself on the pitch that set him apart from the other 19 outfield players. This was his moment, his spotlight, his natural environment. Rarely, if ever, has an England player loomed so perfectly at home, so completely in control of everything going on around him, in a major tournament game.

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“I just enjoy playing football,” said Bellingham, when discussing the way in which he was completely unfazed by the magnitude of Sunday’s occasion. “When it comes to each and every game, I take it as a single game, as opposed to looking too far into the future.

“I realise that in every game I feel like I can make an impact, I feel like I can decide games. But that happens on any given game instead of looking too far into the future.

“The truth is that I really enjoy playing football, so when I go out there, I play with the fearlessness because I love doing it so much. It’s a release for me and it’s my favourite thing to do in the world, so when I play out, it’s not much of a job. It feels like a pleasure.”

It was certainly a pleasurable experience watching Bellingham on Sunday night, with his complete midfield performance making him a shoo-in for the Man of the Match award. In an era in which midfielders are increasingly pigeon-holed into specific roles – defensive, attacking, creative, inverted – the Midlander is something of a throwback, a complete midfielder who can do whatever is asked of him in a specific moment.

His passing was superb against Serbia, with 67 of his 70 passes finding their target, giving him a completion rate of 96 per cent. They weren’t just sideways passes either – on a night when some of his team-mates could be criticised for playing too safe, Bellingham completed all four of his long passes into the final third.

He also excelled at the defensive side of the game, though, with his six successful ‘defensive actions’ only bettered by centre-half John Stones. His three successful tackles were more than any other England player, and he drew four fouls from Serbia’s players, who grew increasingly frustrated at his effortless manipulation of the ball. If anything, that was a tally that felt like it should have been even higher, such was the way in which he was targeted by the opposition..

Part Paul Gascoigne, part Bryan Robson, part Wayne Rooney, during his fearless explosion onto the scene at Euro 2004. Too early for such hyperbole? Perhaps. But it is surely now impossible to dispute that in Bellingham, England have unearthed a once-in-a-generation talent.

“I don’t need to talk about how good he (Bellingham) is,” said fellow England midfielder Declan Rice. “I think you see in Madrid every week, and you’ve seen it again (against Serbia), the match winner.

“I feel like he’s a player that when I’m holding, I’ve just got to let him flourish and do his thing, let him feel like he’s got the confidence on the pitch to go out there and do whatever he wants. The more we play together, I feel like the connection and bond we’ve got is really, really good. With Jude, he is just another level, isn’t he? That’s all I can say really.”

For now, that is probably enough. For all that Bellingham was brilliant on Sunday evening, it is only one game, against a Serbian side that are hardly one of the tournament favourites. Much tougher tests await, although on the evidence of the opening-game draw between Denmark and Slovenia, perhaps not until England are into the knockout rounds.

To truly live up to his full potential, Bellingham needs to be similarly dominant against elite-level opposition. For now, though, that can wait. In terms of laying down a marker for what he intends to do in Germany this summer, Sunday was the perfect start.