Bellingham says he felt ‘mistreated’ and ‘like a scapegoat’ during Euros | OneFootball

Jude Bellingham says he felt “a bit like a scapegoat” while playing for England during the summer’s Euros.

England reached the final of the competition, eventually losing out to Spain, despite some underwhelming performances during the tournament.

Bellingham, whose Real Madrid side take on Liverpool in the Champions League on Wednesday, scored the crucial winner in the round of 16 clash with Slovakia but says he felt harshly criticised for his performances in the Euros.

He said: “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.

“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 also opened up on his decision not to speak to the media during the tournament, adding: “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.

“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.

“My family comes first – my nan didn’t want to leave her house for the whole summer.

“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.”