Jude Bellingham fires back with England 'scapegoat' verdict after Euro 2024 disappointment

Jude Bellingham during a Champions League press conference. (Image: Getty Images)

Jude Bellingham has hit back at critics, claiming he was unfairly made the scapegoat for England's Euro 2024 final defeat. The Real Madrid sensation revealed that he felt as though the " world was crumbling down on him" following the Three Lions' loss to Spain in the final last July.

Speaking about his recent social media post after England's victory over Ireland, where he claimed to have regained his "smile back in an England shirt", the 21-year-old opened up ahead of Real's Champions League tie 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 had entered the Euros on the back of an impressive debut season in Spain, scoring 23 goals and providing 13 assists.

This led to high expectations for him to be England's key player in Germany, where he scored the only goal in the opening win against Serbia and a crucial equaliser to prevent Slovakia from knocking them out in the last-16.

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Following Spain's victory over Gareth Southgate's squad in the final, one player felt particularly targeted for judgement due to his silence with the press during the tournament. He recently revealed that his decision to avoid media was sparked by journalists hounding his family, which he viewed as deeply disrespectful.

He explained: "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.

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"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."

Gareth Southgate consoling Jude Bellingham. (Image: Getty Images)

He emphasised the importance of family and how the intrusion affected him, saying: "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.

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"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."

Jude Bellingham fires back with England 'scapegoat' verdict after Euro 2024 disappointment

Jude Bellingham fires back with England 'scapegoat' verdict after Euro 2024 disappointment

Jude Bellingham fires back with England 'scapegoat' verdict after Euro 2024 disappointment

Jude Bellingham fires back with England 'scapegoat' verdict after Euro 2024 disappointment

Jude Bellingham fires back with England 'scapegoat' verdict after Euro 2024 disappointment