Jude Bellingham says he has a smile on his face again after feeling like the scapegoat due to England’s failure to win the Euro 2024 Championship, Afrosport reports.
The 21-year-old scored two goals and provided an assist during the tournament in Germany but his efforts were not enough as the Three Lions fell 2-1 to Spain in the final.
Bellingham has been singled out in some quarters for not doing enough to land England their first international title in 58 years which the former Borussia Dortmund midfielder felt was harsh.
“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,” he said ahead of Real Madrid’s Champions League clash 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.”
Bellingham has had a mixed start to the 2024-25 campaign, scoring two goals and providing four assists in 14 games in all competitions.
This is in comparison to the previous campaign where he found the back of the net 14 times in his first 15 apperances.
