Jude Bellingham says he has “got his smile back” after feeling like a scapegoat for England’s failure to win Euro 2024.
The Real Madrid star opened England’s campaign by scoring the only goal in their 1-0 victory against Serbia.
He later produced a dramatic 95th-minute overhead-kick equalizer against Slovakia in the last 16, keeping Gareth Southgate’s side in the tournament.
Despite these efforts, England fell short, losing 2-1 to Spain in their second European Championship final in three years.
The team faced criticism for playing too conservatively in Germany, and Bellingham, in particular, felt targeted by what he described as a “pile-on” from critics.
“I lost my smile a lot playing for England after the Euros as I felt I was a little mistreated compared to what I contributed,” Bellingham said before Real Madrid’s Champions League meeting with Liverpool.
“[The] smile is back [now].
“I think it was a bit harsh on me. I felt a bit like the scapegoat. Maybe I felt a bit sorry for myself.
“I felt I contributed some pretty big moments, but it felt like the whole world was crumbling down on me, especially in the three days after the final. It wasn’t a nice feeling.”
‘My nan didn’t want to leave the house’
Bellingham addressed reports that he refused to speak to the media during the tournament.
“That was reported in a way that made it sound like I think I’m above it, but it’s not that at all,” he said.
“I had some personal things going on where journalists had gone to see members of my family while I was at the tournament, my grandparents.
“I don’t think that’s fair, it crosses the line of respect. That’s where I took it a little bit personally and decided I would just focus on the football and let that do the talking, instead of talking in the press to people that seemingly don’t respect me.
“My family comes first – my nan didn’t want to leave her house for the whole summer.
“Maybe I should have communicated that so people understood my situation, but that was a little bit more personal to me so that’s why I decided to keep my mouth shut.”