England struggled their way to the Euro 2024 final with Jude Bellingham playing a key role in Gareth Southgate’s side before defeat to Spain in the final – but the Real Madrid star feels he has taken the flak
Jude Bellingham believes he was made the scapegoat for England’s Euros failure as he hit back at his critics.
The Real Madrid star said he felt the “ world was crumbling down on him” after the Three Lions lost to Spain in the final in July. Bellingham, 21, was asked about posting on social media after this month’s win over Ireland that he got his “smile back in an England shirt” as he returned to these shores for Real’s Champions League clash with Liverpool.
He said: “I’ve got to be honest I lost my smile a lot after the Euros when it came to playing for England because I felt like I was a little bit mistreated in comparison to what I contributed. I felt like some of it was a bit harsh on me. I felt I was a bit like the scapegoat. Maybe I was feeling a little bit sorry for myself.
“For me pressure is not a problem, I understand that playing for Real Madrid the expectations are going to be high for me wherever I go with the national team. I felt like I contributed some pretty big moments and, in the end, it kind of felt like the whole world was crumbling down on me after the Euros, especially after the three days following the final.”
Bellingham went into the Euros after a remarkable debut season in Spain during which he scored 23 goals and made 13 assists. It meant expectations were high for him to be England’s talisman in Germany and he scored the only goal in the opening win over Serbia before a huge equaliser to stop Slovakia dumping them out in the last-16.
But after Spain beat Gareth Southgate ’s men in the decider, he felt he was singled out for criticism because of his refusal to do press conferences during the tournament. Now he’s claimed that was down to journalists approaching his grandparents for interviews while he was away.
He said: “It wasn’t a nice feeling. There were a few things that happened during the tournament. One of the big criticisms of me was that I didn’t speak to the media, I didn’t want to do press conferences. That was reported in a way that it made out I was above it, it’s not like that at all.
“I had some personal things going on, journalists who went to go and see members of my family whilst I was at the tournament, went to visit my grandparents and that’s something I kept to myself. I don’t think that’s fair. That crosses the line of respect.
“That’s, for me, where I took it a little bit personally and decided I was going to focus on the football and try to let that do the talking instead of talking in the press to people who seemingly don’t respect me. That was a thing for me. Family comes first. My nan didn’t want to leave her house for the whole summer, bless her.
“Maybe I should have communicated that before so people understood my situation but that was a little bit more personal and that’s why I decided to keep my mouth shut.” Bellingham insists the post had nothing to do with his Real form despite just two goals so far this season.
He added: “In general, I haven’t lost my smile in the Madrid shirt. I am annoyed when we lose and I get frustrated but it is never a case of not being happy. I’m the luckiest lad in the world. I get to play week in week out for the biggest club in the world and represent my country.
“I think it [the post] was more to with a little bit of how I was treated on the back of the Euros. The smile is back.”
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