Everyone seems to have an opinion on Jude Bellingham. This famously includes Thomas Tuchel’s mother, who was – in the words of the England manager – ‘repulsed’ after he kicked a water cooler in anger following the Three Lions’ defeat by Senegal.
There’s no doubt the midfielder’s antics have earned him plenty of criticism, with commentators accusing the 21-year-old of having a ‘rampant ego’ and behaving like a ‘spoilt prima donna’.
But just as many have come forward to insist this ‘edge’ is what makes him such an extraordinary talent and warned against any attempt to ‘douse the fire’ inside him.
Bellingham himself has insisted he is unfairly targeted, most notably after the Euros when he complained of feeling ‘a little bit mistreated in comparison to what I contributed’.
The spark for the latest chapter in the long-running debate on Bellingham came from Tuchel’s extraordinary interview less than 24 hours after England’s 3-1 defeat by Senegal.
After referencing his mother’s opinion of his player’s behaviour, the German insisted his ‘edge’ was needed ‘to achieve big things’ but warned his aggression could have a negative impact on his own team and the perception of him.
Bellingham chased down the fourth official and booted a water cooler on full-time at the City Ground after his late goal was disallowed.
Jude Bellingham complains to referee Stephanie Frappart after his goal against Senegal was disallowed
Bellingham was pictured kicking a water cooler by the side of the pitch in anger after England’s defeat
England boss Thomas Tuchel admitted that his mother finds Bellingham’s behaviour on the pitch ‘repulsive’
Asked if England could be better off without the tempestuous player, Tuchel told talkSPORT: ‘I struggle to see that. I think he brings an edge, which we welcome and which is needed if we want to achieve big things.
‘(But) the edge needs to be channelled toward the opponent, towards our goal and not to intimidate team-mates, or to be over aggressive to team-mates or referees. He has the fire. I don’t want to dim this down. He should play with this kind of fire, that’s his strength.
‘But the fire comes also with some attributes that can intimidate you, maybe even as a team-mate.’
Among those criticising Bellingham following Tuesday’s outburst was Daily Mail sports writer Jeff Powell, who argued he risked imitating Dele Alli – once one of England’s brightest prospects before his career fizzled out amid worries about his attitude.
‘It is impossible to disagree with his despair of Bellingham,’ Powell wrote.
‘The boy who promised to grow into the standard-bearer for English football now appears on the brink of following Dele Alli — of whom there were similar hopes — down the dark hole of premature fame and rampant ego.
‘Into the nightclubs of wasted manhood — as Real Madrid are fearing — and the blinding light of sunshine reflecting off bikini bodies in millionaire resorts which are as morally ghastly as they are glamorously fake.’
But former Fulham and Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy weighed in to defend the England talent and insisted his anger was proof of how much he cared – even though the game was just a friendly.
Bellingham has received criticism for his behaviour on Tuesday, but others have defended him
‘Thomas Tuchel can suggest he becomes smarter in picking his fights but the last thing the England manager wants to do is douse the fire in Jude that has already led to so much success,’ Murphy argued.
‘Every sportsman has their own personality and you certainly wouldn’t want to turn Bellingham into Roger Federer — it just wouldn’t work.’
Bellingham’s fury was partly the result of having a late goal that would have taken the game to 2-2 disallowed over a contentious handball – an incident Murphy referenced.
‘I found it fascinating he cared so much when there was relatively little riding on the game,’ Murphy continued.
‘I believe it’s that mentality that has made Bellingham a Champions League winner and the most important player in the England team.
‘When he feels the world is against him, it improves his performances. Despite the loss of discipline at full time at the City Ground, we mustn’t judge Bellingham too harshly — and lose what makes him special.’
Bellingham’s firey side regularly makes an appearance at matches, both for England and his club side, Real Madrid.
It reared its head at the Euros last summer during England’s insipid stalemate with Slovenia, when an attack fizzled out and he failed to receive the ball.
Bellingham’s firey side reared its head during the Euros last summer. He’s pictured here looking dejected on the bench after England’s final defeat to Spain
The star kicked a drinks cooler as he vented his annoyance following the 2-1 loss in Berlin
He was also accused of ‘losing it’ towards Gareth Southgate during the 2024 Euros final
Lip reader Jeremy Freeman told Mail Sport that Bellingham yelled: ‘Hey, genuinely put in a f***ing pass’ and then: ‘It’s a bit late to control, f***ing pass.’
Bellingham also made the headlines for a crude gesture seconds after finding the net against Slovakia, having grabbed his crotch in apparent view of the team’s bench.
He was quick to take to social media to explain, saying the act was a joke aimed at his friends.
But it angered German pundits, one of whom warned he could go down a ‘really stupid direction’ due to his perceived arrogance.
Christoph Kramer, who plays for Borussia Monchengladbach in the Bundesliga and faced Bellingham on the pitch several times, told ZDF: ‘He is an outstanding player. He just has to be careful that he doesn’t start to get cocky at such a young age.
‘What I always find really bad is when you wave your hands off your own players. He made a few gestures today, but he has done so in recent games as well.’
‘These theatrical fouls, yellow cards. He stays down, that’s part of football, but…’
Per Mertesacker, formerly of Arsenal, then interrupted, saying: ‘He doesn’t stay lying down, he rolls around. You don’t have to roll around again to provoke something.’
In response, Kramer added: ‘The season he played, I give him credit for that. But he still has to be careful that things don’t go in a really stupid direction. I hope that he reflects on that a bit during the summer break.’
After the ill-fated final against Spain, footage then emerged of Bellingham appearing to shout at then-manager Gareth Southgate.
Bellingham after winning the Champions League final with Real Madrid with his father, Mark, mother Denise, and brother, Jobe
The midfielder is considered one of England’s – and world football’s – greatest young talents
ESPN’s Mark Ogden claimed that the footballer ‘lost it’ and got ‘frustrated’ at the gaffer before kicking a drinks cooler to vent his frustration.
This incident attracted yet more negative comments, yet others again praised Bellingham’s obvious passion and determination to win.
The star, who is considered one of the best players in the world, later claimed in an interview that he had been made into a ‘scapegoat’ for England’s loss – despite commentary about his performance on the pitch being broadly positive.
‘I’ve got to be honest I lost my smile a lot after the Euros because I felt like I was a little bit mistreated in comparison to what I contributed,’ he said.
‘I felt like some of it was a bit harsh on me. I felt like the scapegoat. Maybe I was feeling a little bit sorry for myself. The last England camp (a week ago) with a lot of new faces really brought out the joy in my game again and I think you can see that in the two games.
‘I understand that playing for Real Madrid the expectations are going to be high for me wherever I go with the national team. I felt like I contributed some pretty big moments and, in the end, it kind of felt like the whole world was crumbling down on me after the Euros.’
Despite his own criticism of Bellingham, Tuchel insists he is a ‘special boy’ and a ‘nice kid’ who is ‘very open, very intelligent’.
He added that he was ‘very easy to manage’, before adding the proviso ‘so far’.
