Jude Bellingham reserved a pointed celebration after scoring against Ligue 1 side Monaco in Champions League action on Tuesday night, after the Real Madrid star was accused of ‘loving alcohol too much’ by a Spanish internet personality.
YouTube streamer AuronPlay launched the scathing attack on the England international last week, painting a picture of a midfielder obsessed with the Spanish party scene during one of his videos.
Offering his own explanation for Bellingham’s drop in form this season, the social media star said: ‘There’s not a single nightclub in Spain that Jude Bellingham has not visited.
‘He loves alcohol too much.
‘Have you seen him in training?’ he added. ‘He’s sweating all of the rum. He loves partying too much.’
Bellingham opted to keep quiet when the video was first released, but as Los Blancos ran out the rampant 6-1 winners in Madrid, he couldn’t resist tipping his fingers to his lips as if he was swigging a drink after scoring his side’s final goal.
Jude Bellingham had fun taunting his critics with a pointed goal celebration on Tuesday night
The Real Madrid superstar had been outrageously accused of having a ‘love of alcohol’ by an internet personality (pictured in Ibiza this year)
‘My celebration? A lot of people say a lot of things,’ Bellingham explained after the final whistle. ‘Anyone can stand in front of a camera and say whatever they want, and people believe it.
‘You can either cry about it or enjoy it. The celebration was a joke for the fans. I know what’s going on in my life, what I give for football.
‘I don’t care about the noise from outside. But it was just a joke.’
Bellingham added to the tease with a social media post celebrating his role in the European win captioned: ‘Cheers. (Beers emoji)’.
Apart from the off-season holiday in Ibiza he took with his younger brother Jobe and friends last summer – which is close to standard-issue for top-flight footballers – Bellingham has seldom been spotted out on the town, and has previously stressed in interviews that his routine in Madrid involves heading out for coffee and spending time at home rather than hitting the party scene.
The streamer’s criticisms do come at a challenging time for his Real Madrid side, following the shock departure of former head coach Xabi Alonso.
The ex-Madrid icon on the pitch lasted only a handful of months in the dugout at the Bernabeu, leaving amid a cloud of speculation that he had lost key figures in the dressing room, including Vinicius Jnr.
YouTuber AuronPlay said that he believed Bellingham’s dip in form was because he was seldom out of Spanish nightclubs
But save for a trip last year to Ibiza with close friends, Bellingham is rarely spotted on the town
Another former Real Madrid star, Alvaro Arbeloa, has since been appointed at the club, but his reign began on the worst possible footing as the team were knocked out of the Copa del Rey by second division outfit Albacete.
Real Madrid have managed to keep pace with rivals Barcelona in LaLiga, sitting just one point behind the league leaders.
But Bellingham himself has had an uneven season, after initially being sidelined with a shoulder injury.
Since returning to the pitch in late September, Bellingham has scored six goals and registered a further four assists across all competitions.
