GOALThere is no doubt about the talent of the 21-year-old, however, rumors have persisted for a while regarding his attitude that tends to annoy his teammates.
Euro 2024 didn't really tell us anything about Jude Bellingham that we didn't already know. The kid is world-class – but he's also quite cocky. These twin traits were perfectly illustrated by the last-gasp overhead kick he scored against Slovakia that kept England in the tournament – and the immediately iconic/infamous "Who else?" celebration that followed.
Before the tournament began, Bellingham's boastfulness wasn't considered a bad thing. He's got "an arrogance" about him, England legend Alan Shearer said on June 13, but "in a good way". The narrative has now changed, though, with Bellingham going from superstar to scapegoat in the space of a month.
Within 24 hours of England's 2-1 final loss to Spain, several media outlets were briefed that Bellingham's demeanour – on and off the field – had annoyed some of his team-mates in Germany. According to the reports, Bellingham had a bit of a 'Messiah complex'. He'd apparently bought into the message conveyed in his pre-tournament adidas advertisement that he was some sort of saviour of English football, the generational talent sent to deliver a long-suffering set of supporters from 58 years of hurt. Some of his team-mates allegedly felt that such an individualistic idea was completely at odds with the team mentality Gareth Southgate had cultivated during his time in charge of the Three Lions.
Could Bellingham potentially fall into the trap of believing his own hype and becoming arrogant? Alternatively, are we witnessing another scenario where the ever-changing English press tears down a young talent they previously praised, as seen with Wayne Rooney and David Beckham?
