Jude Bellingham took aim at England’s critics after their narrow win over Slovakia (Getty)
Jude Bellingham has revealed that his celebration during England’s comeback victory over Slovakia at Euro 2024 was a message to hit back at his critics.
Gareth Southgate’s side were on the brink of a surprise exit as they were unable to provide an answer to Ivan Schranz’s opening goal for Slovakia in the 25th minute.
That was until Bellingham popped up in the fourth minute of injury time with an overhead kick to equalise for England, while during his celebrations, the Real Madrid midfielder shouted ‘who else’ towards the crowd.
Harry Kane then scored in the first minute of extra time to put England in front and the Three Lions were able to hold on to the 2-1 win which sets up a quarter-final tie against Switzerland.
When asked why he said ‘who else’ during the celebration for his goal, Bellingham said after the game: ‘I think the adrenaline gets you.
‘But it’s a combination of a lot of things, playing for England is an enjoyable feeling but it’s also a lot of pressure, you hear people talk a lot of rubbish.
Did Bellingham just shout, “Who else?” #england #EURO2024 pic.twitter.com/UkZam2vTbH
— sam (@sxmwht) June 30, 2024
‘It’s nice that when you deliver you can give them a little bit back.
‘It’s very difficult in press conferences and in interviews and things like that to talk as openly as footballers want to because they’re always judged.
‘For me, football and being on the pitch, scoring goals, celebrating is my release.
‘It was maybe a message to a few people but a very happy moment and full of adrenaline.
ENGLAND’S ROUTE TO EURO 2024 FINAL
QUARTER FINAL – July 6 at 5pm
England vs Switzerland
SEMI FINAL – July 10 at 8pm
England vs Romania, Netherlands, Austria or Turkey
FINAL – July 14 at 8pm
England vs Germany, Spain, Georgia, Portugal, Slovenia, France or Belgium
Jude Bellingham’s overhead kick rescued England against Slovakia (Reuters)
Asked what he meant by ‘the rubbish’, Bellingham replied: ‘I think you know what I mean by the rubbish.
‘Like I said, playing for England should be one of the most proud things of a footballer’s career but I feel at times it’s quite difficult.
‘There’s a really high, intense pressure. The fans expect a lot from us, regardless of what happened in recent tournaments years and years ago.
‘I think you do have to take it personally a little bit. We work so hard at this game, we come in and train every day so hard to try and put on performances for the fans. Sometimes it doesn’t go well, sometimes it feels like it’s a bit of a pile-on.
‘It’s not nice to hear but you can always use it for moments like that, it’s nice to kind of throw it back to people, I suppose.’
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Source:: Metro
