Jude Bellingham claims he was made a scapegoat for England’s Euro 2024 failure and that “the world was crumbling” in on him in the aftermath of the final defeat by Spain.
Bellingham caused a stir by suggesting he “got his smile back” after the recent Nations League victories over Greece and the Republic of Ireland.
Asked to elaborate as he prepared for Real Madrid’s Champions League fixture with Liverpool, Bellingham claimed he was the victim of “harsh” reviews in the post-Euro 2024 debrief.
“I’ve got to be honest, I think 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,” said Bellingham.
“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.
“I think that (last England) camp, with a lot of new faces, really brought out the joy in my game again and I think you can see that in the two games. 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 social media post) was more to do with a little bit of how I was treated on the back of the Euros. The smile is back.”
Bellingham was asked to expand upon how he was scapegoated last summer.
“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,” said Bellingham.
“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. It wasn’t a nice feeling.
“There were a few things that happened during the tournament. I think 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, but that’s not it 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. I think 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.”
The 21-year-old vowed to continue to silence his critics with his performances.
“Criticism is part of the game and I know how to accept it but when it feels personal it does give you a bit of a new challenge to continue to shut people up,” he said.
“That’s something I’ve dealt with since I was very young, coming into the first team at Birmingham when people aren’t sure you’re ready. You take those little things and you try to use it as motivation. Like I say, it’s not something I’m really worried about. I understand it is part of the game.”
Bellingham also addressed the interest Liverpool showed in him last year when he became the most sought-after player on the market, with Madrid winning the race for his signature because they were, in his eyes, “on another level”.
“It probably wasn’t as close as a lot of the media made out,” Bellingham said of how far Liverpool’s interest progressed. “I had conversations with a few clubs when leaving Borussia Dortmund.
“I made that decision and they gave me permission to speak to a few clubs, and one thing I have to say is all the clubs I spoke to were very respectful of me and my family.
“That for me was of huge value and something I really respected so I don’t want to say anything that sounds disrespectful to them, but when Real Madrid come knocking on the door it shakes the whole house.
“It’s hard not to open and accept, so I think – as I said before – it’s not a matter of the teams weren’t good or bad when I spoke to them, it’s just Real Madrid are on another level.”
