talkSPORT’s Jim White and Alex Crook bumped into Jude Bellingham at Euro 2024 – and got a strange reaction from the England star.
England are through to the semi-finals of Euro 2024 following a perfect 5-3 penalty shootout win against Switzerland on Saturday as the game ended 1-1 following extra time.
Bellingham was one of the Three Lions’ five penalty takers, with the Real Madrid maestro helping to fire England to their third semi-final under Gareth Southgate.
Prior to the match in Dusseldorf, talkSPORT presenter White and chief football correspondent Crook bumped into Bellingham at a hotel.
Relaying the meeting, Crook said it highlighted how unhappy the England camp is with the media following criticism of their performances this summer.
Crook, sat alongside White on Monday’s mid-morning show, said: “You bumped into Jude Bellingham at the hotel before this game and you said ‘you’ve been great in this tournament so far’.
“And he said to you, ‘you don’t mean that’. I thought that was a really strange reaction from someone who scored a couple of really big goals for England, who’s had nothing but praise for what he’s done at Real Madrid this season.
“Why have the players built up in their head that we’re all against them? Well, that simply isn’t the case.”
White then continued: “Alex was beside me. I said, you’ve done brilliantly, Jude, meaning over the season at Real Madrid, and even now getting that goal against Slovakia.
“And he has. He has done so well. But he wouldn’t have it.”
Southgate and his players have adopted a siege mentality during the Euros, having been criticised throughout the tournament for their performances.
Speaking to talkSPORT after the win over the Swiss, Southgate expressed his unhappiness at his team selection being leaked.
“We’re trying to win a football tournament and our own media are leaking tactical information two hours after we’ve walked off the training pitch,” he said.
“They’ll excuse it by saying that they’ve got it from within the camp and maybe they have, but how does that help the team?
“How does it help the team to give the Swiss – who might have been expecting us to play differently – three days to work out what we might do?
“I have to say it because it’s the environment that we’re working in. It’s difficult, more difficult than it should be, but we’re still going.”
That attitude appears to have been adopted by the players too, judging by Bellingham’s reaction to meeting members of the media.
As well as his penalty in the last 16 shootout, Bellingham has netted twice at the European Championship this summer.
He scored his country’s first goal of the competition in the 1-0 win over Serbia in Group C.
The 21-year-old was also England’s hero against Slovakia, saving his side from crashing out in the round of 16 by equalising to make it 1-1 in the fifth minute of added time with a stunning overhead kick.
Harry Kane then went on to bag the winner in extra time.
It was after this win that Bellingham noted playing for England can be ‘quite difficult’ due to ‘really high intense pressure’ as ‘fans expect a lot’ from the Three Lions.
He also noted that there can be ‘a bit of a pile on’ if things ‘don’t go well’.
As well as starring for England out in Germany, Bellingham won LaLiga and the Champions League last season in his debut campaign with Real Madrid.
He was the joint-third highest scorer in Spain’s top flight with 19 goals – along with Barcelona’s Robert Lewandowski – bagging 23 goals and 13 assists in all competitions in total.
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News Summary:
- Jude Bellingham had ‘strange’ reaction to praise from talkSPORT host Jim White
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