Jude Bellingham has been one of the standout stars of the international break. The Real Madrid midfielder is in superb form for England, the side he also captained through the recent World Cup finals.
Bellingham scored seven goals at that summer tournament, finishing third in the race for the Golden Boot behind only Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi, level with Erling Haaland.
A strong start to the La Liga season has rolled straight into his England displays under Thomas Tuchel. He was his country's best player against Spain. Rotation limited him to a few minutes against the Czech Republic, but he responded with an exceptional showing in the 7-0 demolition of Croatia, grabbing a goal and three assists.
Back home, the midfielder has won over everyone without exception. Gary Lineker ranked among the most enthusiastic after that latest performance, going so far as to claim on the podcast "The Rest Is Football" that Bellingham could end up as the best footballer in England's history.
Micah Richards offered a different take on the same show. "I don't think he has Cole Palmer's talent or Phil Foden's touch, but I think he deserves a 9 out of 10 in all the other aspects. As for his self-confidence, it's a 10 out of 10. He completely believes in everything he does." Lineker wasn't having it.
As reported by the Catalan newspaper "Sport", Lineker replied: "I don't agree with you on this point. Jude's ability to control the ball is absolutely remarkable. And the way he turns and gets past players. I think Jude could end up becoming the best player in England's history."