Believe the Hype, Bellingham Is Lighting up the World Cup

England's Jude Bellingham applauds the fans at the end of the World Cup round of 16 soccer match between England and Senegal, at the Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor, Qatar, Sunday, Dec. 4, 2022. England won 3-0. (AP)
England's Jude Bellingham applauds the fans at the end of the World Cup round of 16 soccer match between England and Senegal, at the Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor, Qatar, Sunday, Dec. 4, 2022. England won 3-0. (AP)
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Believe the Hype, Bellingham Is Lighting up the World Cup

England's Jude Bellingham applauds the fans at the end of the World Cup round of 16 soccer match between England and Senegal, at the Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor, Qatar, Sunday, Dec. 4, 2022. England won 3-0. (AP)
England's Jude Bellingham applauds the fans at the end of the World Cup round of 16 soccer match between England and Senegal, at the Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor, Qatar, Sunday, Dec. 4, 2022. England won 3-0. (AP)

Jordan Henderson knew exactly who to thank after opening the scoring in England’s 3-0 win against Senegal at the World Cup.

Pointing a finger in the direction of Jude Bellingham, Henderson charged over to his teammate, pressed his face nose-to-nose with the teenager and stared intensely into his eyes before embracing him in celebration.

With England fans going wild inside Al Bayt Stadium on Sunday, Henderson continued to gesture that Bellingham was the one deserving of their adulation after his run and cross had created the goal.

“Incredible, I can’t keep saying nice things about him,” said Henderson, Liverpool’s Champions League and Premier League-winning captain.

Praise for Bellingham, who plays for Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga, poured in on social media.

“Goodness me, @BellinghamJude is unbelievably good. He’s the leader in this team. His parents must be so proud. Love him,” England great Gary Lineker wrote on Twitter.

At 19 years old Bellingham is emerging as the heartbeat of the England team. So much so that even 32-year-old Henderson, who has won club football's biggest prizes with Liverpool and was awarded an MBE — Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire — by the late Queen Elizabeth II, is in awe of his talent.

The same goes for England captain Harry Kane.

“He’s a fantastic player, has everything with and without the ball,” said Kane, who scored his first goal of this World Cup against Senegal after another driving run from the Borussia Dortmund midfielder.

As soon Bellingham flipped the switch, it was lights out for Senegal, who had created the better chances before Henderson’s goal.

His speed, energy and intelligence saw him dominate midfield and further enhance his soaring reputation.

His performances are sure to have been noted by defending champions France, who England meets in the quarterfinals on Saturday.

Bellingham was already set to spark an auction among Europe’s biggest clubs next summer, with Dortmund widely expected to sell to the highest bidder. And his displays at the World Cup so far should only increase competition for his services.

Manchester United has tried and failed to sign him once already, while Man City manager Pep Guardiola is a confirmed admirer.

Liverpool has repeatedly been linked with a move for him.

“He’s going to be a superstar that kid,” said former United midfielder Roy Keane. “I’ve not seen a young midfielder perform like that for years.”

Praise does not come much higher than that in British football’s circles.

Keane captained United’s dominant team of the 1990s and early 2000s. He is also known for his cutting commentary since moving into the world of broadcasting.

But Bellingham, it seems, is a unifying force when it comes to appreciating a talent that was evident from the age of 16 when he broke into Birmingham’s first team and prompted United and others to try to lock him down.

He chose Dortmund instead, which was a less glamorous option, but has given him room to blossom.

“I don’t think we could have predicted how quickly he would mature,” said England coach Gareth Southgate. “Even in the last six months that has gone to another level or even the last three months.”

Bellingham became England’s second youngest scorer at a World Cup, behind Michael Owen, with his headed goal in his country’s opening 6-2 rout of Iran.

He’s now its youngest ever player to provide an assist at the tournament after setting up Henderson.

“I think the view we’ve always taken is we’ve wanted to invest in young players on the basis that they could be something special in the future,” added Southgate.

That investment, just like Bellingham, is maturing nicely.



Djokovic Says Tennis Players Have a ‘Lack of Trust’ in Doping Agencies After Sinner Case 

Novak Djokovic of Serbia attends a press conference ahead of the Qatar Open tennis tournament in Doha, Qatar, 17 February 2025. (EPA)
Novak Djokovic of Serbia attends a press conference ahead of the Qatar Open tennis tournament in Doha, Qatar, 17 February 2025. (EPA)
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Djokovic Says Tennis Players Have a ‘Lack of Trust’ in Doping Agencies After Sinner Case 

Novak Djokovic of Serbia attends a press conference ahead of the Qatar Open tennis tournament in Doha, Qatar, 17 February 2025. (EPA)
Novak Djokovic of Serbia attends a press conference ahead of the Qatar Open tennis tournament in Doha, Qatar, 17 February 2025. (EPA)

Novak Djokovic says a majority of tennis players have lost faith in the anti-doping authorities following Jannik Sinner's three-month ban, and there's a widespread feeling that “favoritism” is being shown to the sport's biggest stars.

The 24-time major winner called on the World Anti-Doping Agency and the International Tennis Integrity Agency to overhaul their processes for dealing with doping cases “because the system and the structure obviously doesn't work.”

“Right now there is a lack of trust generally from the tennis players, both male and female, toward WADA and ITIA and the whole process,” Djokovic said at the Qatar Open.

Top-ranked Sinner reached a deal with WADA on Saturday to accept a ban that will have him back playing in time for the French Open in May without having to miss a single Grand Slam tournament. That came after the International Tennis Integrity Agency had decided not to suspend Sinner for what it judged was accidental contamination by a banned anabolic steroid last March.

The short ban for Sinner came after five-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek accepted a one-month suspension in November after testing positive for a banned substance that she said was accidentally consumed because of a contaminated nonprescription medication. Both bans are much shorter than what other athletes in tennis and in other sports have normally received in similar cases.

“It’s not a good image for our sport, that’s for sure,” Djokovic, the long-time No. 1 in men's tennis, said. “There’s a majority of the players that I’ve talked to in the locker room, not just in the last few days, but also last few months, that are not happy with the way this whole process (for Sinner) has been handled.

“A majority of the players don’t feel that it’s fair. A majority of the players feel like there is favoritism happening. It appears that you can almost affect the outcome if you are a top player, if you have access to the top lawyers and whatnot.”

Sinner had been scheduled to play in Qatar before accepting the ban.

The handling of Sinner’s case had already raised questions about double standards, and when the ban was announced it was widely criticized by other players. The positive tests weren’t publicly revealed until August because Sinner successfully appealed against being provisionally banned from playing. He then won the US Open in September and the Australian Open in January.

Sinner’s explanation for the positive test was that trace amounts of Clostebol in his doping sample was due to a massage from a trainer who used the substance after cutting his own finger, which WADA accepted.

Djokovic said he didn't question Sinner's and Swiatek's innocence but that he and other players are frustrated about the inconsistent handling of doping cases.

He pointed to the case of former women's No. 1 Simona Halep — who was given a four-year ban by the ITIA in 2022 after a positive test before it was later reduced to nine months — and British player Tara Moore, who was suspended in May 2022 while an investigation lasted 18 months before an independent tribunal determined that her positive test for a banned substance was caused by contaminated meat.

“Right now it’s a ripe time for us to really address the system, because the system and the structure obviously doesn’t work, it’s obvious,” Djokovic said. “So, I hope that in the ... near future that the governing bodies are going to come together of our tours and the tennis ecosystem and try to find a more effective way to deal with these processes.”