EXCLUSIVE: England hero Jude Bellingham told how he can beat Harry Kane to Ballon d'Or as Michael Owen urges Three Lions to step up a gear in World Cup semi-final against Argentina

Emulating the immortals of 1966 has been the challenge put to every England team that has graced major tournament competition since the Jules Rimet trophy first started gleaming in the Wembley sunshine some six decades ago.

Some have come closer than others to ending that barren run, with Gazza and Gary Lineker contributing significantly to a semi-final journey at the 1990 World Cup. Sir Gareth Southgate guided the Three Lions to the same stage in 2018, along with back-to-back European Championship finals.

The fabled ‘Golden Generation’ never made it further than the last eight of any competition - with Cristiano Ronaldo proving to be a formidable foe to Owen, Rooney, David Beckham and Co - but hope springs eternal and a success-starved fan base is still daring to dream.

Another semi-final has been reached on North American soil, with Argentine GOAT Lionel Messi preparing for a first meeting with England in his record-shattering career. He will pose plenty of problems to Thomas Tuchel’s troops, but the Three Lions have match-winners of their own that are ready to roar.

Real Madrid ‘Galactico’ Bellingham has become a talismanic presence once more - following his ‘who else’ exploits at Euro 2024 - with six goals being recorded through as many fixtures, with said haul including priceless braces against Mexico and Norway.

Quizzed on whether Bellingham has inherited the crown once donned by Gascoigne and Rooney when it comes to delivering moments of magic, ex-England striker Owen - UK ambassador for Casino.org, who are known for helping players compare trusted British online casino brands - told GOAL: “We're talking about one of the best, aren't we? He's still only young but he comes alive at the big tournaments. He plays for Real Madrid, he's one of the star men in the Real Madrid team. He's obviously one of the best players in the world.

“Quite frightening how people would question whether he should go or whether he should be in the team not so long ago. We don't have too many world-class players and trying to get rid of one of them is quite something.

“But anyway, he's exceptional. Physically, he's a Rolls-Royce, isn't he? The way he moves, the way he runs, the distance he covers, the ground he covers. Mentally as well, he rises to big occasions.

“If we're going to win a World Cup, we need three or four players at his level. You look at France and teams like that, they've literally got four or five players at absolute top level. We've got one or two. Harry Kane's not going to be here forever. The here and now is the important thing, but we need a small handful of Jude Bellinghams if we're going to win a World Cup. Absolutely, he's the type of player you can build a team around.”

Bellingham’s form has led some to suggest that he could - having finished third in 2024 - come back into contention for Ballon d’Or recognition. Owen knows what it takes to land that prestigious prize having done so himself in 2001. He remains the last Englishman to do so.

Kane - fresh from hitting 61 goals for Bundesliga title winners Bayern Munich last season - is also in the Golden Ball mix. The problem for both Three Lions superstars is that France looked fearsome at the 2026 World Cup before bowing out against Spain - with the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Michael Olise leading their charge, while Lamine Yamal, if he produces a showstopping performance in the final, could also be in contention.

Pressed on whether Bellingham is part of the discussion when it comes to ‘best player on the planet’ monikers, Owen added: “It depends who wins the World Cup. If we win the World Cup, then yes, I think he's got a right chance.

“If we win the World Cup, what Harry Kane's done in club football might edge that for Harry Kane. But you never know, if Jude Bellingham scores a winner in the World Cup final, then it sways his side.

“First of all, we have got to win the World Cup for one of those two players to win it. But if we do win the World Cup, then obviously a lot will depend on what happens in the semi-final and the final, because both have had equally good World Cups to be fair to them.”

Kane and Bellingham have six goals apiece at FIFA’s flagship event. Between them, they have carried England into the last four - clearing hurdles of dogged defences, high altitude and sweltering temperatures along the way.

Messi and Argentina are next up. Owen famously announced himself on the grandest of stages when netting a stunning solo goal against the Albiceleste at the 1998 World Cup. He returned to haunt them when bagging a dramatic brace at the end of a friendly contest in November 2005 - the last time that two old adversaries locked horns.

Bellingham and Kane will be hoping to make more headlines in Atlanta, but could do with a little more assistance from those around them. While there can be no questioning the heart and spirit displayed by the Three Lions so far, performances have been slightly frenetic at times and greater guile is required to complement the graft.

Owen said: “I totally agree. I was maybe a little outlier in the game against Mexico. Everybody’s saying it was the greatest performance they'd ever seen. I mean, I must have been watching a different game.

“I thought it was the most dramatic. We've been involved in some really dramatic games over the years, England, but I thought it was exciting, it was dramatic, it was heroic, it was a lot of things, and it was a good performance. But as you say, we couldn't keep the ball for three passes in the first half. And then we go down to 10 men and we couldn't keep the ball for two passes. Half the time we were just clearing it.

“It was not a performance that you think, ‘right, OK, repeat that against France and we'll beat them’. No way on earth. No way on earth that we play like that against France - we get our arses smacked! We've got to play better than that.

“Now, it was great in so many other ways, and obviously because we had a red card and all these different things, of course it was, and it was amazing. And as I say, heroic and all the rest of it. But, you know, there's still more, I believe, there's still better performances in these players.

“You could argue Norway played better than us. And how many Norway players could get into our team? None. Maybe one. If you prefer [Erling] Haaland to Kane, OK, I'll argue with you, but, you know, fine. They played better than us.

“So we still can play a lot better and we will need to play a lot better. But I do think the teams that we're about to face, or the team, hopefully teams, will bring out better performances in us because we will have to. It's just a natural thing that you can rise to those types of games, I feel. I think we're going to need to play better and I think we will.”

A historic meeting with Messi and the reigning champions of world football presents England with an ideal opportunity in which to prove their worth, justify some of the contentious decisions made by head coach Tuchel and give their travelling army of fans something to shout about.

The plan is to have Oasis anthem ‘Wonderwall’ ringing out again at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Georgia - along with ‘Three Lions’ - and if Kane or Bellingham are able to bring football home then there is every chance that a notable double of World Cup and Ballon d’Or glory will be savoured as the record books are rewritten and a new era of success is welcomed in.