Rio Ferdinand selected Elliot Anderson as his man of the match following England's comeback victory over Norway in the World Cup quarter-final, despite Jude Bellingham's two goals that secured the win.
Bellingham's double sends England through
Andreas Schjelderup put Norway ahead in the 36th minute with a stunning strike from a tight angle, leaving England stunned after a strong start in Miami. However, Bellingham equalised on the stroke of half-time, dribbling past several defenders before firing a left-footed shot past Orjan Nyland. The match appeared headed for extra time until Bellingham scored again on the rebound in the dying minutes, sending Thomas Tuchel's men to the semi-finals.
The match-winning double moved Bellingham level with Harry Kane on six goals for the tournament, behind only Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland. England will face Argentina in the semi-finals after Messi's side edged Switzerland in extra time.
Ferdinand explains Anderson pick
Speaking on his podcast Rio Ferdinand Presents, the former England defender explained why he chose Anderson over Bellingham. “Yeah, I thought Anderson. Elliot Anderson I thought was great,” Ferdinand said. “I can make very good arguments that you might not win the game without either of their performances and impact moment, so you need the blend of both.”
Ferdinand drew on his own playing experience: “I've played in many games where, I don't know, Ruud van Nistelrooy scored two goals but then Paul Scholes walks off with the man of the match or a defender does because they have moments that aren't as match-defining, but you know that without them we may not get to win the game.” He added, “There's no doubt in my mind, if Jude gets man of the match then he deserves it. He's a match-winner.”
Bellingham hailed as England's best since 1966
Ferdinand also praised Bellingham as England's finest tournament player since the 1966 World Cup victory. “I'm saying it with my chest, yes, Jude Bellingham is the best England player that we've had in tournament football since 1966, any tournaments,” he said. “Who are you putting forward to be ahead of him? Wayne Rooney at the Euros was phenomenal, outrageous.”
He highlighted Bellingham's ability to perform on the biggest stage: “It's knockout football and he's just come and said, 'I'm gonna turn the heater up a bit on the cooker'. There aren't many players who, on the biggest occasions, go, 'Guys, I'm him, who else?'” Ferdinand acknowledged potential over-reliance but noted, “We've got two superheroes. We've got Jude and we've got Harry Kane so if Kane's on it and Jude isn't, we're going to get through probably.”
Bellingham brushes off criticism
Ferdinand also commended Bellingham for overcoming past doubts about his character. “What I'm seeing that is becoming more and more apparent now is the other players are so accepting that Jude is the guy,” he said. “There were so many murmurings in the previous tournament and people started trying to write him off, saying he had too much of an ego maybe or he's too this or too that, trying to find stories. But the kid just knows how to turn up and perform at the biggest moments.”
England's semi-final against Argentina will take place on Wednesday, 15 July at 20:00 BST in Atlanta. Remarkably, Lionel Messi will face the Three Lions for the first time in his international career should he feature at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
