Jude Bellingham matches Pele’s World Cup scoring mark at age 23, trailing only Kylian Mbappe

Jude Bellingham sent England to the 2026 World Cup semifinals with a clinical brace in a 2-1 comeback win over Norway at Miami Stadium. The performance also saw him draw level with Pele’s goalscoring record in the competition at age 23, leaving only Kylian Mbappe ahead of him in the all-time standings for players that age or younger.

With England trailing 1-0 after Andreas Schjelderup’s opener, Bellingham found the equalizing goal in the 45+2 minute after a great control from an Anthony Gordon pass to get inside the box and kick with his left foot. In extra time, he completed the comeback by pouncing on a rebound after Orjan Nyland failed to hold a Morgan Rogers effort, sending the Three Lions through.

The brace brought Bellingham’s career World Cup tally to seven goals, matching the mark Pele had set at the same age and underlining his remarkable productivity in the competition with plenty of years still ahead of him.

In this tournament alone, Bellingham has now scored six times. Alongside the brace against Norway, he found the back of the net twice in two minutes against Mexico in the Round of 16, and added one goal each in the group stage wins over Croatia and Panama.

His World Cup account was opened at the 2022 tournament in Qatar, where he was part of Gareth Southgate’s squad representing England out of Borussia Dortmund. He scored just once in that campaign, against Iran in the group stage opener, but that solitary goal now forms part of a seven-goal haul that has him in elite company.

Mbappe the only one standing above

Bellingham’s achievement is all the more remarkable given that he is a midfielder, not a natural goalscorer, yet the only player to have found the net more times in the World Cup at age 23 or younger is Kylian Mbappe, who leads the category with 12 goals.

Mbappe announced himself on the World Cup stage at just 19 in Russia 2018, scoring four goals including one in the group stage, two against Argentina in the Round of 16, and one in the final against Croatia. He then raised the bar further in Qatar 2022, adding eight more through the group stage, a brace against Poland in the Round of 16, and a stunning hat trick in the final, again against Argentina.