Serbia boss Dragan Stojkovic did not hold back with his praise of England talisman Jude Bellingham ahead of his side’s opening match of Euro 2024. The former national team captain also revealed he plans to instruct his men to play on the front foot against the tournament favourites, setting up a mouth-watering contest in prospect for both sides’ first match of Group C.
Serbia head coach Dragan Stojkovic believes Jude Bellingham will “definitely” win the Ballon d’Or in his career ahead of their clash with England on Sunday.
The Real Madrid man is expected to star for his country at Euro 2024, having already won La Liga and the Champions League this season, scoring 23 goals in the process.
And with England boss Gareth Southgate revealing that the 20-year-old is one quarter of his new leadership group, the game’s greatest individual honour may hinge on how the Three Lions fare.
Speaking on the eve of Serbia’s first appearance since 2000 at the European Championship, the former skipper waxed lyrical about Bellingham, hinting at a targeted gameplan to nullify his threat.
“He is a great guy,” said Stojkovic. “He will definitely win the Ballon d’Or in the future.
“He plays impressively, although he is young, he is strong, he has quality, he showed all of that at Real Madrid. It’s really amazing the performances he puts in every game. He’s great for England, bad for us.
“But we will do everything possible to have control. You don’t have to give him a lot of space, he is a very important player for the English team. We’ll see on Sunday.”
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