Jude Bellingham is set to face Lionel Messi for the first time when England play Argentina in Atlanta. Their meeting puts Bellingham up against a player he has admired since childhood.
A recently circulated interview in which Bellingham appears to discuss learning from Messi is AI-generated and should not be taken as his own account. His admiration is real, however: when asked recently to choose between Messi and Kylian Mbappe, Bellingham picked the Argentine.
Messi has scored eight goals and provided two assists at this World Cup. At 39, he remains a formidable opponent for Bellingham, who is 16 years younger, in a meeting of two attacking talents at different stages of their careers.
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