Jordan Henderson has described Jude Bellingham as England's X-factor with the potential to have a major impact in the upcoming World Cup. Henderson, 35, who gave Bellingham his first England cap about five to six years ago, highlighted the midfielder's growth both as a player and a person over that period [1, 2].

Henderson said, "I honestly couldn't speak highly enough of him. I know a lot gets written in the media, I find it hard to read sometimes really because I just know just how big an influence he is on this team, how good a team-mate he is off the field. What he gives us is just something really special. He really gives us an X-factor in our team. He has had big moments in his career, he is a big game player. He has got experience in tournaments. He is a huge huge player for us in this tournament" [1].

At 22, Bellingham is competing with Morgan Rogers to start as England’s No. 10 in their first World Cup group match against Croatia on September 7 [1, 2]. He has already won 48 caps and is set to appear in his third major tournament [1].

Despite facing media criticism, Henderson emphasized Bellingham's positive leadership and influence within the squad, particularly his support for younger players. "If you ask any player in this group they will tell you how much of a good teammate he is, how well he trains. I know he is young but he also helps young players, new players that come in. How he was in the pre-camp with Rio, Josh King, Alex Scott, Ethan - how he is with the players, nobody sees that" [1].

Bellingham showed maturity during the pre-tournament camp by mentoring young England players like Rio Ngumoha, Josh King, Alex Scott, and Ethan Nwaneri. He presented Ngumoha with his England legacy cap after Ngumoha’s debut in a friendly against New Zealand [1, 2].

Henderson also criticized some media coverage, saying, "I do think a lot of the media and the stuff that gets written isn’t all true to be honest, or a lot of it is actually untrue. But for us we all know what he can do, and how much we all love him inside the camp" [2].

England will play their first World Cup group game against Croatia on September 7, with Bellingham expected to play a key role [1, 2].