Wayne Rooney says Jude Bellingham has been the best player at the World Cup so far. The Real Madrid midfielder has scored six goals in six games for England, trailing only Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi in the Golden Boot race. Erling Haaland sits on seven while captain Harry Kane is level with Bellingham. England face Messi's Argentina in Wednesday's semi-final.

Rooney praised Bellingham's energy and desire, comparing him to his younger self. The 23-year-old has nine goals and three assists in major tournaments for England, averaging a goal or assist every 138 minutes. Only Mbappe (12) has more before age 24 among Europeans. Bellingham scored in group wins over Croatia and Panama, then twice each against Mexico and Norway in the knockouts.

Kane and Bellingham have combined for 12 of England's 13 goals, a historic reliance on two players. If either scores against Argentina, they'll match Gary Lineker (1986) and Kane (2018) with six goals in a single tournament. Rooney believes Kane can "destroy" Argentina's centre-backs Cristian Romero and Lisandro Martinez if he's on form, calling him a "nightmare for that type of defender."