Jude Bellingham will become England captain but Three Lions teammate is first in line

Stuart Pearce has tipped Jude Bellingham to become England captain one day – but not before Declan Rice gets his turn.

Bellingham again proved his importance to the Three Lions in their World Cup opening win over Croatia, scoring a crucial goal to edge his side in front in the 4-2 victory.

After having his starting role come under question heading into the tournament, the Real Madrid superstar all but settled the debate between him and Morgan Rogers with a fine individual display.

This isn’t the first time Bellingham has stepped in key moments for his country – who can forget his bicycle kick against Slovakia to keep England‘s hopes alive at Euro 2024?

And his latest performance has convinced former Three Lions captain Pearce of his credentials to lead the team in the future.

Who else?

Harry Kane has led by example as England skipper since 2018, and that continued against Croatia, as he netted a first-half double.

And while Pearce believes Bellingham will one day captain his country, he has tipped the team’s current vice-captain to succeed Kane when he eventually hangs up his boots.

When asked on talkSPORT’s White and Jordan whether he thought Bellingham has captain credentials, Pearce said: “Certainly, yes.

“I also see Declan Rice as somebody that should be a captain in waiting prior to Jude, but certainly after that.”

Arsenal midfielder Rice was named vice-captain for his nation ahead of the 2026 World Cup by manager Thomas Tuchel.

This is a role he will continue in England’s next Group L match, as they continue their quest for a first glory since 1966 against Ghana.

And should both Rice and Bellingham start as expected, the pair will reach milestones in their international careers.

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At just 22, Bellingham is set to win his 50th England cap, having established himself as a key man since his debut in 2020.

Meanwhile Rice will bring up his 75th Three Lions appearance should he face Ghana, with the 27-year-old battling nerve pain in his hamstring.

And Pearce piled praise on both midfielders for hitting milestones if they feature on Tuesday night.

On Bellingham reaching 50 appearances for the Three Lions, he said: “It’s magnificent, at such a young age… every cap was valuable for me, Rice as well is 75 caps if he plays today.

“Great achievements for these players – and to reach 50 at the age of 22 if quite astounding really.

“And I think with Tuchel leaving him out throughout the calendar year, he’s served him well and I’m expecting big things.”

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Declan Rice and Jude Bellingham for England

Having made their England debuts a year apart, Rice and Bellingham have since established themselves as key leaders in the national team.

Rice’s international bow came in 2019, whilst still at West Ham, while he had to wait two more years to feature in a major tournament for the Three Lions, doing so at the rescheduled Euro 2020 in 2021.

He played in all seven games for his country as they suffered heartbreak in the final against Italy, and was joined by Bellingham at the competition, who featured entirely off the bench in the tournament.

By the time the 2022 World Cup rolled around, both players had become indispensable, with the pair starting all five games together in midfield as England were knocked out in the quarterfinals.

It was the same story at Euro 2024, as Rice and Bellingham started all seven games – with the latter scoring twice along the way – as the Three Lions fell again at the final hurdle, this time to Spain.