Drawing on past experiences, Bellingham urged everyone to learn to enjoy the game.

England's "Three Lions" will face Croatia's formidable "Checkered Ones" in their opening Group L match of the 2026 World Cup. Real Madrid midfielder Jules Bellingham stated that the players need to learn from past experiences and enjoy the game.

In the previous friendly match, England defeated Costa Rica 3-0 thanks to goals from Rice, Gordon and Watkins, securing their second consecutive victory in preparation for the World Cup.

It's worth noting that England reached the final of Euro 2024, only to lose 1-2 to Spain, missing out on the title. However, they qualified for the World Cup finals in the European qualifiers with a perfect record, making them one of the favorites to win the tournament. Nevertheless, Tuchel's team will still face other strong competitors.

England midfielder Jude Bellingham said, "During the European Championship, we didn't handle some things off the pitch very well. For a variety of reasons, I think the team's overall cohesion wasn't at the level it should have been."

“Expectations from the outside world are one factor. We performed well in the 2018 World Cup and also had a good result in the 2022 World Cup. Therefore, when it came to that European Championship, the outside world generally believed that we were one of the two or three teams with the best chance of winning the championship.”

Bellingham pointed out, "Our performance at the time wasn't particularly outstanding, so even when we won, we didn't feel the joy and satisfaction we should have had."

"Of course, a team must have that never-ending spirit and the desire to win, but the reality of football is that the joy of victory often dissipates quickly. I think we should cherish those winning moments for a longer period of time."

In addition, Bellingham said, "I think this time, with past experiences as a reference, we have realized that the player who scores the winning goal in the World Cup final is not necessarily the one that everyone favored before the game."

"Therefore, players must always be prepared, and everyone should feel valued and feel that they are an indispensable part of the team. Another point is to learn to enjoy it all."

Image source: Internet