All together now, with arms in the air: One Jude Bellingham, there's only one Jude Bellingham ... Unless, that is, you happened to find yourself in Shoreditch, east London, on Wednesday, where a dozen young men who looked vaguely like the England midfielder gathered for a lookalike contest almost as competitive as the one currently continuing in the US. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing The Guardian.
The event took place at Boxpark Shoreditch hours before England's semi-final against Argentina in Atlanta. The prize: a Deliveroo voucher worth £1,966 – a reminder of the six long decades since England last won the World Cup – and a Beatles box set.
19-year-old Zane Proctor, a Manchester university student, said: "Yeah of course. Come on England. It's coming home." He called Bellingham "a really good ambassador for all the young people".
Gabriel Mian, 20, from Orlando, stumbled across the event by accident. "I had to come to the station anyway, and some people told me I had to go [to the competition]," he said.
24-year-old Marcus Legemah, a master's student at University College London, was awarded the lookalike crown by popular acclaim. "Sadly, apart from looks I don't think there's much," he said of his resemblance to Bellingham. His prize was presented by an Erling Haaland lookalike. Legemah said: "Now I can celebrate the final with some friends, with pizzas and beer." He believes England will win the World Cup.