England ace Bellingham is clearly a wonderful footballing talent, but some elements of his behaviour are threatening to overshadow his on-pitch exploits.
Still just 22 years of age, the midfielder often struts about with the air of a player who believes he has no equal.
Tuchel controversy
Who can forget, for example, the way in which he celebrated a last-minute equaliser for England over Slovakia in the 2024 European Championship?
"Who else?" he said after running towards the side of the pitch, and added after the match: "You hear people talk a lot of rubbish, so it's nice that when you deliver, you can give them a little bit back."
Was he calling out manager Gareth Southgate? Or the many fans, reporters and pundits who had been critical of his performances at the tournament? Regardless, he was certainly sending a message.
Thomas Tuchel has since replaced Southgate as England boss, having already caused controversy with an earlier comment about Bellingham's attitude.
"Sometimes you see the explosion towards the referees and the anger," the German was reported as saying.
"That edge is hard to find. If he smiles, he wins everyone, but sometimes you see the rage, the hunger and the fire, and it comes out in a way that can be a bit repulsive."
Unhappy in Albania
After the Albania game, Tuchel was again asked about Bellingham's body language after he'd decided to substitute the midfielder.
“He didn’t like it, but no one likes it. That’s how it is... That is the decision, and he has to accept the decision," he said.
"I saw he was not happy. To a certain degree, if you have players like Jude who are so competitive, they will never like it, but my word stands."
"It is about standards, about level, and a commitment and respect to each other... We will not change our decision because someone is waving their arms," Tuchel concluded.
The narrative again took the focus away from what was a more than acceptable performance from the Real Madrid man.
Brilliant all-round performance
His four touches in the opposition box were only bettered by Harry Kane, with the England captain not having any until scoring his first goal in the 74th minute.
79 total touches were the most of any England midfielder or attacker, whilst his 12 one-on-one duels, seven of which were won, were both game highs.
Defensively, he won the joint most tackles, and was the only player who was successful in each one, whilst the three fouls won in the match were also the most of any player from either side.
As with his Real Madrid performances, Bellingham's excellence can't be ignored, which makes Tuchel's continued insistence on a higher standard of behaviour from the player quite a stark and pointed remark.
Jobe struggling at Dortmund
Would the England manager genuinely risk leaving the midfielder out of his World Cup squad on the basis that Bellingham is becoming a bit of a loose cannon? That type of call could arguably be the biggest of Tuchel's managerial career, at least on the international stage, particularly if the Three Lions subsequently falter in the US.
The 'fire' the German talked about arguably comes from Bellingham's father, Mark, who, it's believed, can be overly aggressive and demanding behind the scenes when discussing his sons and their respective football careers.
His other son, Jobe, hasn't had the best of starts at Borussia Dortmund, as the family look to ensure younger Bellingham follows a similar path.
A half-time substitution on his debut against St Pauli saw Mark Bellingham storm down into the tunnel area to confront Dortmund sporting director Sebastian Kehl.
The resulting tirade clearly didn't go down well, and parents were subsequently banned from all such areas.
Just one full game in the Bundesliga
Perhaps Mark's ire has continued to affect Jobe; in 16 games in all competitions to date for the Bundesliga outfit, he has managed just one assist in the Champions League against Copenhagen.
If we factor in the Club World Cup during the summer, one further assist as well as one goal can be added to his resume, but it's clear that such an output is far from good enough.
It wasn't until the game against Hamburg at the start of November that he finally played a full 90 minutes in the German top-flight for the club, and only twice more - against Copenhagen in the Champions League and against Eintracht Frankfurt in the German Cup - has he either not been subbed off before full-time or started on the bench.
With his Flashscore player ratings rarely creeping above seven out of 10, it's clear how much Jobe is struggling in his new surroundings.
Let football do the talking...
For two young players who still should have the best years of their careers ahead of them, it's worth asking the question whether the current status quo is just a blip or whether we are witnessing the early stages of the crumbling of the Bellingham empire.
It's time to let their football - and nothing else - do the talking.
