Jude Bellingham was built for nights like this — England versus Brazil, Wembley Stadium, under the lights.

He will not flinch. In fact, it will be like water off a duck’s back. The sight of Vinicius Junior or Rodrygo in the tunnel will not have Bellingham’s heart beating any faster. He trains with them most days, after all.

Indeed, his two Real Madrid team-mates may well be the ones fearing the worst, having already witnessed first hand what Bellingham can do.

At the national stadium on Saturday night, England’s very own Galactico will be presented with his latest opportunity to prove to everyone what they already know — that this ludicrously gifted kid from Stourbridge has the world at his feet. Ironically, there is a whiff of Brazilian flair in everything Bellingham does.

The touch. The vision. The execution. It is all done with the same sprinkle of pizzazz that has made Brazil the planet’s most iconic footballing nation.

Jude Bellingham will be given the chance to shine when England face Brazil at Wembley

Jude Bellingham will be given the chance to shine when England face Brazil at Wembley

Jude Bellingham will be given the chance to shine when England face Brazil at Wembley

Bellingham is set to start in the No 10 role supported by Declan Rice and Conor Gallagher

Bellingham is set to start in the No 10 role supported by Declan Rice and Conor Gallagher

Bellingham is set to start in the No 10 role supported by Declan Rice and Conor Gallagher

The Real Madrid star will face his team-mate Vinicius Junior at Wembley in the friendly

The Real Madrid star will face his team-mate Vinicius Junior at Wembley in the friendly

The Real Madrid star will face his team-mate Vinicius Junior at Wembley in the friendly

But Bellingham is English and we should savour that fact. His international manager certainly believes we should.

‘We are obviously delighted to have him with us and the impact he has had with us and at an amazing football club,’ said Gareth Southgate on Friday.

‘We do have to remind ourselves he is 20, so there is a lot on the outside he deals with brilliantly. He is a player who is going to have an impact on any game he plays.’

Bellingham’s blistering first season at the Bernabeu has been somewhat tempered of late.

He picked up an ankle injury in February that saw him miss four weeks of action. On his return to the side, Bellingham was sent off in a 2-2 draw with Valencia.

The setbacks arrive as a reminder, if he needs one, that the direction of travel in football can quickly alter.

But, for now, those recent problems represent a mere blip on the road of a wondrous first season at Real that has seen him score 20 goals in 31 appearances.

It is that prowess in the final third that is defining Bellingham’s burgeoning reputation as one of the planet’s elite footballers.

The Real Madrid star has faced recent setbacks including suffering an ankle injury in February

The Real Madrid star has faced recent setbacks including suffering an ankle injury in February

The Real Madrid star has faced recent setbacks including suffering an ankle injury in February

Bellingham was controversially sent off on his return to action for Real Madrid against Valencia

Bellingham was controversially sent off on his return to action for Real Madrid against Valencia

Bellingham was controversially sent off on his return to action for Real Madrid against Valencia

Bellingham has scored 20 goals in 31 appearances in his debut season at the Spanish giants

Bellingham has scored 20 goals in 31 appearances in his debut season at the Spanish giants

Bellingham has scored 20 goals in 31 appearances in his debut season at the Spanish giants

Signed as a box-to-box midfielder, manager Carlo Ancelotti has unlocked a lethal side to his game that many of us did not know he had.

‘I think positionally, he is a huge goal threat at the moment and his whole game with Madrid this year has been in that final third of the pitch,’ said Southgate.

‘He is playing very high and they have played without a nine, or he has played just behind the nine.

‘He has not always defended in that position, sometimes he has defended from the left wing, but he has ended up playing quite a free role and has obviously had enormous success playing that as well.

‘He is very capable of playing in a number of different positions and it is about finding the right balance with the rest of the team, that gets the most out of him and the most out of the other players, as well.’

You sense an innate, almost paternal, urge to protect Bellingham by Southgate, which is understandable.

Barely out of his teens, he soared to stratospheric heights at a rapid pace. You would imagine that pace is unsustainable and there will be rougher times ahead. It will not always be plain sailing.

Indeed, speaking on Friday, Southgate talked of the dangers of his nation pinning their hopes on the boy wonder. The manager warned that England must not become ‘the Jude Bellingham team’.

Carlo Ancelotti has unlocked a lethal side to Bellingham after adapting his position this season

Carlo Ancelotti has unlocked a lethal side to Bellingham after adapting his position this season

Carlo Ancelotti has unlocked a lethal side to Bellingham after adapting his position this season

Gareth Southgate has warned England cannot become reliant on one player in the squad

Gareth Southgate has warned England cannot become reliant on one player in the squad

Gareth Southgate has warned England cannot become reliant on one player in the squad

‘We have to have 11, 16, 23, 25, whatever it is, players collectively delivering to be a team that can challenge and win a European Championship,’ Southgate said.

‘We can’t be relying on one person. Over the years, we’ve had a huge emphasis on individuals and then an individual has got injured and there is nowhere to go.

‘He can be a hugely important part of the team, we recognise that, and we want to give him every licence to do that as well but, I repeat, he’s 20 and that load has to be shared by everybody.

‘I am mindful that he is still a young man and our success in the next week, and in the net few months, is dependent on the team and the collective, so that is important.’

Mail Sport understands Bellingham is likely to play in a No 10 role against Brazil tonight, with Arsenal’s Declan Rice and Chelsea’s Conor Gallagher pushing to start in central midfield behind the former Birmingham youngster.

In attack, in-form Manchester City man Phil Foden is hopeful of starting, while Newcastle’s Anthony Gordon and Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford are vying to play on the other flank.

John Stones is also set to return to England’s starting line-up after missing the November fixtures through injury.

And the City defender, who will go head-to-head with Bellingham in a mouth-watering Champions League quarter-final next month, shares Southgate’s view of his international colleague.

Asked if the move to Real has changed Bellingham, Stones replied: ‘100 per cent yes, in such a good way, in a brilliant way.

‘He’s grown as a person, I feel like he’s matured for such a young guy.

John Stones believes Bellingham has grown as a person and matured more at Real Madrid

John Stones believes Bellingham has grown as a person and matured more at Real Madrid

John Stones believes Bellingham has grown as a person and matured more at Real Madrid

Stones highlighted Bellingham's work ethic and believes the England star will keep improving

Stones highlighted Bellingham's work ethic and believes the England star will keep improving

Stones highlighted Bellingham’s work ethic and believes the England star will keep improving

‘I know how much we spoke about how mature he was a few years ago. So for me to say that now, I think is such a good quality for him to have.

‘He’s playing at one of the biggest clubs in Europe and in the world and he’s thriving there.

‘He’s obviously had a great first season in Madrid and I couldn’t be happier for him, seeing how hard he works.

‘I know he will just want to keep improving and getting better.’

For Bellingham’s rivals, that is a scary thought.

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