As Brazil beat England at Wembley on Saturday night, Jude Bellingham found himself battered and bruised.
Though the midfielder is just 20, it's clear he's a generational talent. His stunning form for Real Madrid this season, coupled with his previous performances for Borussia Dortmund and Birmingham City, are proof of that.
England had gone into the match against Brazil expected to continue their impressive form.
But they weren't streetwise enough with the visitors choosing to target Bellingham repeatedly during the showdown in the capital.
Jude Bellingham is set to face the same issue as Wayne Rooney following England's defeat to Brazil
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It was clear Brazil wanted to rough the midfielder up, evident that they'd earmarked him as the man to stop in order to leave Wembley with victory to their name.
The likes of Lucas Parqueta and Bruno Guimaraes admirably carried out the task, with the West Ham and Newcastle stars repeatedly clattering Bellingham during the course of the match.
Yet, worringly for England, when Bellingham is marginalised like this then they struggle to play to their usual high level.
It is all so familiar, something that happened with Wayne Rooney during his prime years in the sport.
Rooney became a household name with his electrifying displays at the European Championships back in 2004, scoring four goals from as many appearances.
Only Milan Baros netted more that summer, with Rooney's haul of four goals matched by Manchester United team-mate Ruud van Nistelrooy.
Rooney's Euro 2004 was ended when he was clattered against Portugal, with the Three Lions eventually exiting that competition on penalties.
It was clear, however, that stopping the forward was the best way to prevent England from running riot.
In 2006, Rooney was targeted. And his rage boiled over when he decided to stamp on Ricardo Carvalho following another frustrating tackle.
Getting into Rooney's head was a tactic used by teams four years later in South Africa.
The United legend was angsty throughout the tournament, playing through the pain having been an injury doubt prior to the competition commencing.
And teams such as the United States, Algeria, Slovenia and Germany repeatedly went for Rooney to restrict his impact.
With Bellingham, history could be about to repeat itself.
The Real Madrid star has been unstoppable this season, scoring 20 goals and clocking up seven assists from just 28 matches.
But Brazil have shown that, if Bellingham can be contained, England can be as well.
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Jude Bellingham was battered and bruised during England's friendly defeat to Brazil on Saturday night
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And whether England have enough to win matches without their star man being at the centre of things remains to be seen, with Euro 2024 creeping closer.
England were, in truth, poor during the match against Brazil.
Yet Gareth Southgate opted to take the positives and insisted the Three Lions should be content with the way they performed.
“There were lots of very good performances,” he said.
“It was a top-level game, we controlled long parts of it and had as many attempts on goal as them."
Wayne Rooney was often targeted during his time as an England player
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Addressing fouls on Bellingham and other England players, he added: “It’s a classic game against a South American team. In a [competitive game] there might have been more cards given.
“We knew to expect that and we played from the back really well. I’m not unhappy with a lot about the performance.
“In the end it’s that ruthless moment that decides the game, but there were some important individual performances for us.
“Anthony [Gordon] was excellent, in both sides of his game. Ben Chilwell was very good, he was aggressive in his defending and he gave us width.
"We have to manage him carefully because he’s been out for a while.”
