Jude Bellingham’s World Cup heroics spawn a meme token that crashed 98% in hours

Jude Bellingham just did something only Pelé had done before him at a younger age. The 22-year-old Real Madrid midfielder scored braces in consecutive World Cup knockout matches, first dismantling Mexico and then putting Norway to the sword, powering England into the 2026 FIFA World Cup semifinals.

Naturally, the crypto world responded not with a standing ovation but with a Solana meme token. The unofficial $JUDE token peaked at roughly $0.00062 before losing approximately 98% of its value.

The goals that made history

Bellingham’s brace against Mexico on July 5 came in just 98 seconds, ranking it among the fastest in World Cup history.

Then, on July 11 against Norway, he did it again. Two more goals in the knockout stage made Bellingham the second-youngest player ever to score braces in consecutive World Cup knockout rounds. The only player to do it younger was Pelé.

Enter the meme token

Within hours of Bellingham’s heroics, an unofficial token called $JUDE appeared on the Solana blockchain. It briefly touched a peak price of approximately $0.00062 before crashing by roughly 98%.

No official crypto projects or tokens endorsed by Bellingham have been identified. The player himself appears to have had nothing to do with $JUDE.

What this means for crypto investors

The broader question is whether athlete-linked tokens will eventually attract regulatory attention. Several jurisdictions are already tightening rules around celebrity endorsements in crypto.

The real irony is that Bellingham’s brace against Mexico took 98 seconds. The $JUDE token lost 98% of its value.

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