- Jude Bellingham has opened up on the emotional toll of losing in the Euros final
- He now has a smile back on his face but says even his family suffered in summer
- Liverpool correspondent LEWIS STEELE tells all on bombshell chat with Mo Salah – LISTEN NOW to It’s All Kicking Off! New episodes every Monday and Thursday
Jude Bellingham says his ‘world was crumbling down’ when England lost the European Championship final this summer – but insists his ‘smile is back’ after being scapegoated for the Three Lions’ failures.
The Real Madrid star has opened up on the agony he felt after England lost in extra-time to Spain and admitted that he felt disrespected by the media, some of whom made his grandmother afraid to leave the house during the summer.
Bellingham, 21, was speaking at Anfield ahead of the European champions’ clash with Liverpool on Wednesday and said: ‘I’ve got to be honest I lost my smile a lot after the Euros 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 like the scapegoat. Maybe I was feeling a little bit sorry for myself. The last England camp (a week ago) 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 a 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. The smile is back.’
The Galactico was La Liga‘s player of the season last year with 19 goals and six assists but he has failed to reach those dizzying heights again this term with just two strikes. But he added: ‘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.
‘One of the big criticisms of me was that I didn’t speak to the media or didn’t want to do press conferences. That was reported in a way that it made out I thought I was above it, that’s not that at all. I had some personal things going on.
‘Journalists went to go and see members of my family while 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 where I took it a little bit personally and decided I was going to focus on 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 the 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.
‘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. That’s something I’ve dealt with since I was very young and came into the first team at Birmingham.’
Bellingham was heavily linked with Wednesday night’s opponents Liverpool before he joined the 15-time champions of Europe but he added: ‘It probably wasn’t as close as was made out. I had conversations with a few clubs when leaving Borussia Dortmund and making that decision.
‘But when Real Madrid come knocking on the door it shakes the whole house. It’s hard not open it and to accept. It’s not a matter if the other teams weren’t good or were bad when I spoke to them, it’s just that Real Madrid are on a different level.’
This will be Bellingham’s first game at Anfield and he will meet up with good pal Trent Alexander-Arnold, though the Liverpool full back will be a substitute at best after a recent hamstring injury.
Alexander-Arnold’s Reds deal is expiring this summer and Real have long been touted as a potential destination but Bellingham said: ‘I’ll be playing alongside him next season… for England! That will be a guarantee.
‘But he’s a Liverpool player and it would be disrespectful to come to his home today with a big game tomorrow and talk about something that could be misconstrued so it’s important to take that pressure off him. I want him to do really well normally. Just not tomorrow!’
Carlo Ancelotti, the Los Blancos boss who has won seven European Cups as a player and manager, added: ‘I am sorry but I cannot speak about (Alexander-Arnold), he is not my player. I am still an Evertonian!’
