Jude Bellingham picked up his second consecutive Man of the Match award at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and crypto degens did what crypto degens do. An unofficial $JUDE meme token launched on Solana shortly after the announcement and promptly crashed 98%.
The 22-year-old Real Madrid midfielder delivered a complete performance during England’s group-stage match against Ghana on June 23, recording a goal, an assist, and leading the pitch in ground duels won and created. In the same match, Bellingham became the youngest player in England’s history to earn 50 international caps.
The performance that launched a thousand trades
Bellingham’s back-to-back Man of the Match awards started with England’s earlier group-stage fixture against Panama, where his performance first caught the tournament’s spotlight.
Bellingham himself didn’t think he deserved the award. He publicly stated that a Ghana player should have received the honor instead.
