EMILE HESKEY witnessed the David Beckham phenomenon up close.
And in current English hero Jude Bellingham, the former striker sees a kindred spirit in Goldenballs, who also possesses the power to transcend football.
Former Leicester and Liverpool striker Heskey played with Beckham for many years for the national team.
They competed together at Euro 2000 in Belgium and the Netherlands, the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea and Euro 2004 in Portugal.
Beckham mania was at its peak during this period and Heskey had a front row seat to it all, so is well placed to watch if man of the moment Bellingham is following a similar path.
Heskey, 46, told SunSport, courtesy of 888Sport: “Beckham was an icon. He conquered the world, not just football.
“He was the first figure to leave football. Transcend not just being a football player, but being this great icon.
“I was at the 2002 World Cup and everyone had Beckham haircuts, from kids to grown men and women.
“You’re a big star when you do that, especially in places like Japan.
“We had 3,000 training sessions attended and that was because of him.
“He is a fantastic, wonderful icon. You can see where Jude is going with some of the things he’s doing.”
The similarities between Beckham and Bellingham are clear – they are both trend-setting pin-up boys who revel in the spotlight.
Firstly, as Heskey highlighted, is his ability on the field, capable of lifting an entire team with a moment of brilliance.
Beckham nailed that unforgettable last-gasp free kick against Greece in 2001.
Bellingham did his own three days ago in Gelsenkirchen with THAT header against Slovakia.
Heskey was captained several times by Beckham for England. He recalled: “Becks was quite quiet, to be honest.
“He was a fantastic captain because he led by example. You can see this in Jude.
“He’s the one who really wants to take the game by the scruff of the neck, whether technically, physically or emotionally.
“He’s the one who cheers up the crowd, he’s the one who’s willing to put his foot where it hurts. He is a great all-round leader.
“Becks was it. He was fantastic as a captain for me, in the sense of what a captain does. He was the first there, he set an example for us. If there was a problem, he was the one we could go to and he resolved everything.
“You can see similar characteristics in Jude. A wonderful, wonderful player, a great character who is doing incredible things on the field.”
Heskey is confident that his former Birmingham teammate Bellingham will be able to cope with the ever-increasing spotlight on him thanks to the strength of his support network.
And Michael Owen’s former strike partner has been very impressed with the way the Real Madrid midfielder speaks publicly despite turning 21 on Saturday.
Heskey added: “Jude’s nuclear family is very strong.
“His father is a former football player and also a police officer. His mother is a role model in the sense of being his mother. You see how strong they are as a family.
“It’s when you have a well-grounded, well-versed child who is growing into an incredible man. I think he will be able to handle all of this.
“Football clubs have all these different ways of helping players with certain things that are going on, even media training.
“I doubt Becks had any media training. I’ve never had any media training, so you get caught up in that.
“But when you look at people like Jude, you see how well they speak on the microphone and on television.”
England are still concerned about whether Bellingham will escape suspension in Saturday’s quarter-final against Switzerland.
UEFA is investigating a “potential breach of the basic rules of decent conduct” after he made what appeared to be a rude gesture while celebrating his incredible equalizer against the Slovaks.
Heskey admits that losing Bellingham in Dusseldorf would be a huge blow, but highlighted how reserve players led England to glory the last time we won a major trophy, in 1966.
The former Aston Villa and Wigan striker added: “I hope I don’t lose him.
“So again, it’s up to others, having the opportunity they may not have had, to take responsibility.
“We have seen this so many times. Even talking about the last time we won a trophy, I believe Jimmy Greaves was the one who should have been playing.
“Then you have an injury or a setback and you need to take responsibility. And the rest is history.”
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