When Wayne Rooney came to Germany for the 2006 World Cup, he was also 20 years old but a preternaturally mature 20.
It was his second major tournament having dazzled at Euro 2004, and he had just completed his second season at Manchester United.
He too was talked of as one of the best players in the world already, never mind for the future.
Rooney is always worth listening to, but especially on the topic of Jude Bellingham — and Rooney has detected an ominous sense of frustration in him:
💬 “For me, he’s looked very frustrated. I’ve been there, in exactly the position he’s in.”
There is a sense of something bubbling in Bellingham, an energy needing to be channelled the right way. Which is why Rooney is worried.
It is not that he thinks Bellingham needs to work harder — far from it — but that he needs to keep his head in the knockout rounds when things are not going his way or he is struggling to dominate the game like he wants to.
This is the issue for Bellingham. Having turned 21 yesterday, he is already one of the most senior and important members of the squad.
It is a tension and challenge Rooney knows only too well.