Who else? From ‘rude’ to Hey Jude, Bellingham wins over his critics

Mark Borkowski, a public relations consultant and expert on reputation management, said Bellingham belonged to a new generation of players, who understood that what they did off the pitch could matter as much as their play.

He said: “I think footballers now are very different from the era of Paul Gascoigne or even Wayne Rooney, where there was a whole drinking culture, you were left to your own, nobody took responsibility. 

“There was a sort of moan from most footballers that we’re not role models. I think Wayne Rooney even said that — ‘how can I be judged; I’m not setting myself up to be a role model’. He expected his achievements on the pitch to be enough.”

After the interview, Gutiérrez praised the player’s empathy and said: “Jude Bellingham stopped when he heard ‘Venezuela’ and dedicated a few words to the people in the country.”

“That comes from somebody being incredibly human and decent,” said Borkowski. “There’s plenty of examples of people ignoring mascots, ignoring journalists, ignoring fans. Messi has this bodyguard that surrounds him and stops them. But Bellingham is very open. And that’s what he and his team will be thinking about — it’s not just what you do on the field.”