Former England captain John Terry has compared Jude Bellingham to Zinedine Zidane and says he is “not worried” by the Three Lions’ World Cup semi-final opponents Argentina.
Terry, who was twice named England skipper and twice stripped of the armband, has been impressed by the way Bellingham has carried his country to the last four, where they will play the defending champions in Atlanta on Wednesday.
Bellingham has scored six goals in the tournament so far, including two in each of England’s last two games, against Mexico and Norway.
And Terry believes he is making a similar impact to former France midfielder Zidane, who was instrumental in Les Bleus’ success in 1998.
Terry told a FIFA podcast: “I said at the start of this World Cup, he reminds me of Zidane. He’s dragging this team through at the moment. I think he’s world class. Also, you listen to him off the pitch, he’s got a real calmness about him as well.”
England are better than Argentina, claims confident Terry
England have progressed to the semi-finals without playing particularly well, as demonstrated once again against Norway when Thomas Tuchel’s side rode their luck before winning 2-1 in extra-time.
Argentina have also struggled to find top gear, and the victories over Cape Verde, Egypt and Switzerland have not been straightforward.
And, for that reason, Terry is confident England can advance to just their second World Cup final against either Spain or France.
“I’m not worried about Argentina, if I’m honest,” Terry added. “I don’t look at Argentina and sit here being worried about them being better than us. I think, man-for-man, we’re better than Argentina.
“You know what I like about this England side at the minute? We’ve had big moments. We’ve got a good side but it feels like everything’s going for us. It feels like it’s England’s time.”
Terry’s confidence was echoed by his former Chelsea team-mate Joe Cole, who said: “I am saying it right now, England will reach the World Cup final. We have too much pace for Argentina, we are going to beat them, I can feel it in my bones.”
