Jude Bellingham Reflects on Feeling Like England’s Scapegoat After Euro 2024

Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham has stated he has regained his positive outlook after experiencing a period where he “felt a bit like the scapegoat” following England’s unsuccessful bid to win Euro 2024 this past summer. During the tournament, Bellingham netted England’s initial goal in their 1-0 triumph over Serbia. He later secured a 95th-minute overhead-kick equalizer against Slovakia, preventing Gareth Southgate’s squad from being eliminated in the last 16 stage. England ultimately suffered a 2-1 defeat against Spain in the final, marking their second loss in a European Championship final within three years. The England team faced criticism for adopting an overly cautious playing style in Germany, with Bellingham specifically becoming the target of what he termed a “pile on” from various 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 remarked ahead of Real Madrid’s Champions League fixture against Liverpool. He added, “[The] smile is back [now].” Bellingham further commented, “I think it was a bit harsh on me. I felt a bit like the scapegoat. Maybe I felt a bit sorry for myself.” He continued, “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.” Bellingham also addressed earlier reports suggesting he had declined to engage with 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 clarified. He explained, “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.” Bellingham elaborated, “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.” He emphasized, “My family comes first – my nan didn’t want to leave her house for the whole summer.” Bellingham concluded, “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.” Bellingham and Real Madrid have experienced a mixed beginning to the 2024-25 season. Los Blancos have struggled to keep pace with rivals Barcelona in La Liga, though they have reduced Barca’s lead at the top of the standings to four points, having played one fewer game. Bellingham has recorded two goals and four assists across 14 appearances in all competitions this season, a decrease from the 14 goals he scored in his initial 15 games for the club last season. The midfielder was absent from England’s first two fixtures following Euro 2024 – Nations League victories against Finland and the Republic of Ireland – but has since started all four subsequent matches. Earlier this month, he provided three assists in England’s 5-0 triumph over the Republic of Ireland at Wembley, a result that secured their promotion to League A of the Nations League. Bellingham secured third place in the 2024 Ballon d’Or awards, finishing behind his Real Madrid teammate Vinicius Junior and the winner, Rodri of Manchester City.