Four social media posts published by England midfielder Jude Bellingham during the FIFA World Cup generated almost £19 million in Earned Media Value, according to analysis by influencer marketing platform Kolsquare.
The analysis, which tracked social media activity between 31st May and 19th June, found Bellingham generated £18.7m in EMV from just four World Cup-related posts, attracting more than 61m views and almost 18m engagements.
The posts, which included match action, training content and celebrations following England’s victory over Croatia, generated significant visibility not only for Bellingham but also for several of his England teammates.
Kolsquare found that Bellingham’s content generated £6.4m in EMV for Anthony Gordon; £5.7m for Harry Kane; £2.3m for Declan Rice; £2.3m for Jordan Pickford; and £2.3m for Noni Madueke.
The findings suggest that Bellingham’s social channels have become one of the most powerful distribution networks in world football, amplifying the visibility of England’s wider squad during the tournament.
“Jude Bellingham’s influence extends far beyond his own personal brand,” said Quentin Bordage, CEO and founder of Kolsquare. “His content acts as a distribution network for the England squad, creating visibility and engagement for teammates as well as himself.
“The data shows how a single player with a highly engaged audience can generate significant value across an entire team.”
While Bellingham dominated overall EMV, Newcastle United winger Anthony Gordon emerged as England’s surprise social media success story.
Despite being mentioned by just eight influencers across 15 pieces of content, Gordon generated £7.3m in EMV during the period analysed.
By comparison, Harry Kane generated £7.3m in EMV despite appearing in content from 81 influencers and 91 separate posts, while Jude Bellingham generated £1.8m in EMV from 73 influencers and 100 pieces of content.
The findings suggest that engagement quality and audience response may be more important than the volume of creator mentions alone.
England play the Democratic Republic of Congo in the first knockout round at 5pm UK time today.