Jude Bellingham clarifies gesture after dramatic England equaliser - 'Nothing but respect'
Jude Bellingham has claimed that his gesture after scoring England's dramatic equaliser against Slovakia was "an inside joke with close friends" and not aimed at the opposition bench.
The midfielder came up with a 95th-minute leveller to end their opponents' hopes of an upset in the last 16 at the Euros. As he walked backed ahead of the restart, the Real Madrid midfield grabbed his groin and appeared to look towards the Slovakian bench.
Bellingham has since come out on social media to clarify that he was acting on an inside joke with some pals as he paid tribute to the performance of Slovakia, who were seconds away from causing a huge upset at the tournament.
England's saviour explained on social media: "An inside joke gesture towards some close friends who were at the game. Nothing but respect for how that Slovakia team played tonight."
Bellingham has endured a difficult time in Germany thus far, performing well below his usual levels despite having a stellar year at club level. He's just helped Real claim the Champions League in his first season in Spain and was tipped to excel for England at the Euros.
The 21-year-old helped inspire the Three Lions as they scored their winner seconds into extra-time. Harry Kane headed home and England will now face Switzerland in the last eight. Southgate's side have advanced despite their poor showing but Bellingham claimed there was a lot of negativity around the team - which he was happy to mute.
He said: “There’s a really intense pressure. The fans expect a lot from us, regardless of what happened in recent tournaments or years and years ago. People talk a lot - and I think you do have to take it personally a little bit. Sometimes it doesn’t go well and sometimes it feels like there’s a bit of a pile-on.
The Real Madrid midfielder forced extra-time with his late strike
“It’s not nice to hear - but you can always use it. After moments like that, it’s always nice to throw something back to some people, I suppose. Playing for England is an enjoyable feeling but there’s also a lot of pressure because you hear people talk a lot of rubbish.
“Football, being on the pitch, scoring goals and celebrating is my release - and it was maybe a message to a few people. It was a very happy moment.”
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