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Former England captain Wayne Rooney has warned Germany coach Thomas Tuchel of a serious challenge ahead of him at the 2026 World Cup in dealing with Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham.
The pending dispute over Bellingham
Rooney expected Tuchel to face a lot of media pressure if he decided to prefer Aston Villa’s Morgan Rodgers to Bellingham in the number 10 position.
Rooney said on the Wayne Rooney podcast. “This is a big challenge that Tuchel must be ready for. I’m sure he’s ready, but if Jude doesn’t start the game, he’ll face enormous pressure from the media, Jude himself and his family.”
“Jude has missed some camps, but you can’t write him off the roster. He is different from the game Tuchel wants. He’s an adventurous player and likes to take risks, but you have to take that from him.”
Rooney stressed that England need players like Bellingham in the big tournaments, saying: “Jude creates big moments in crucial moments. We’ve seen it before and he has the record to prove it.”
Kudos to the return of Evan Ton
In a separate context, Rooney praised Tuchel’s decision to call up Saudi Arabia’s Al-Ahly striker Ivan Toni to the national team after a long absence.
“Ivan is a great player. He scored many goals in the English Premier League for Brentford before moving to Saudi Arabia. Scoring goals is a good habit that doesn’t change wherever you play.
Rooney added: “I’m very happy that we have three real strikers in the squad. “When you need a goal in the last minutes, you bring forwards who know how to score, not midfielders who just want to play with the ball.”
He defended Tony’s performance in Saudi Arabia, saying: “If Cristiano Ronaldo was in the same situation, would anyone mind him playing in Saudi Arabia?”
Notably, Toni has scored 32 goals for Saudi Arabia’s Al-Ahly this season, after scoring 36 goals in 85 Premier League appearances for Brentford before his move in 2024. He is expected to be Harry Kane’s first substitute in the World Cup.
