A lively debate has unfolded between football legends Rio Ferdinand and Martin Keown over whether Jude Bellingham, the young English talent, has attained the status of a ‘world-class’ player.
Amidst this, Rio Ferdinand is under scrutiny from Arsenal supporters following his comments about their winger Bukayo Saka, suggesting he hasn’t reached ‘world-class’ level yet. This has sparked a wider conversation about what constitutes a ‘world-class’ player.
Before Arsenal’s recent 1-0 loss to Porto, Ferdinand clarified his perspective, stating that, in his opinion, there are only 12 players in active football who qualify as ‘world-class’. His list includes Ederson, Kyle Walker, Rodri, Jude Bellingham, Vinicius Jr, Harry Kane, Alisson, Virgil van Dijk, Kevin De Bruyne, Mohamed Salah, Kylian Mbappe, and Erling Haaland.
Martin Keown, the ex-Arsenal defender, raised questions on TNT Sports about why Bellingham, currently with Real Madrid, is considered ‘world-class’ over Arsenal’s Saka, adding another layer to the ongoing debate.
“I think Bellingham is one I question. He’s in amazing form, what he’s doing at Real Madrid right now, but we look at Saka.
“Saka’s been the England Player of the Year. Bellingham hasn’t got a look in. Maybe Rio is being a bit mischievous with Arsenal fans.”
Ferdinand then explained: “Saka’s got that world-class potential, but he hasn’t been exposed to the knockout stages of the Champions League and the longevity. That’s the difference.”