The hopes of England in the 2026 World Cup appear to rest on the shoulders of two men. One in particular, Jude Bellingham, has received his fair share of criticism for his "attitude" over the years. Unsurprisingly, this seems to be forgotten now he's become the key to England's chances of lifting the trophy on the 19th of July. In fact, it is the opposite; many people are now pointing to how useful the swagger is, how important the 'edge' is. And it is. You do not get to be the best in the world without some kind of 'edge'. But there is a problem.
This edge is not developed in academies. In fact, in my research, I found more cases where that edge is coached out of people because it causes a problem. "There's no I in team", "Put the we before the me", and other meaningless phrases are thrown about and painted on walls with absolutely no impact whatsoever. Young players are told, "You'll not make it if you have a bad attitude", but this is the same "bad attitude" Bellingham is now using to guide England through a major tournament. Academies are built on strict hierarchies that often suffocate the expression of the self. There are rules, and they are to be followed; not doing this is to be seen as "big time".
