Jude Bellingham sanctioned for obscene gesture England’s victory over Slovakia may simply be “a blessing” for Gareth Southgate, says an expert who harbors a grudge against the Three Lions star.
Bellingham kept England in the round of 16, scoring a brilliant 95th-minute equaliser to keep them in the tournament before Harry Kane secured his passage with a header in extra time.
But the Real Madrid hero was investigated by UEFA after he was filmed clutching his genitals while celebrating his goal, spawning stories in many media outlets claiming he could simply be suspended, although that will never take place and never has been carried out.
Bellingham claimed in X that it was an “inside joke towards close friends who were present at the match”, but UEFA wrote to the midfielder asking him to take part in the action.
Despite his two goals in Germany, Bellingham has not been as influential as he was for Real Madrid for most of his first season with the Spanish giants, earning him La Liga Player of the Season honors.
And Dietmar Hamann, who is far from his biggest fan, says his imaginable ban may actually be a smart thing for Southgate and England.
“Gareth Southgate made a decision prior to dismissing Bellingham or Phil Foden,” he told BILD.
“Now I may be lucky if Bellingham is suspended. If he has to be absent, it may even be a blessing. He could even match the team. Something has to happen. “
The former Liverpool defensive midfielder also criticised Bellingham’s behaviour, referring to him shouting “who else?”. fans in the stadium after his magnificent goal and digging up his complaint to a referee about his time at Dortmund.
“I don’t like his behavior,” Hamann said. “Two and a half years ago there was a case in Dortmund about referee Felix Zwayer, where he was fined, but in my opinion he deserved a suspension. “
In December 2021, Bellingham criticized Zwayer following Borussia Dortmund’s 3–2 loss to Bayern Munich. He said: “You give a referee who postponed matches before the game in Germany. What are you waiting for?
Hamann added: “Without your teammates you are nothing, and if he stands up and says that, then I would be interested to hear what his teammates say. Apart from his goals, he didn’t notice in the first 4 games. ” .
“I’ll wait to see where he’ll be in 2 or 3 years. We don’t want to communicate that he’s a talented player, but there are some things you shouldn’t do.
Hamann claimed earlier this week that Bellingham actually “disappeared for months”, further evidence of his obvious grudge against the England star.
“When you look at the other players, Bellingham, for example. He is a great talent, but the fact is that since the quarter-finals of the Champions League he has not played. He hasn’t been noticed in the Champions League when he counts,” Hamann said.
“Maybe we shouldn’t be surprised that Bellingham is doing so well in this tournament. Bellingham is not the explanation for why Real Madrid won the Champions League. He played his part from the first rounds, but they won it thanks to Lunin. , thanks to Vini Junior and thanks to Toni Kroos.
“Sometimes the English have a tendency to exaggerate their players, which is fair enough, but it doesn’t correspond to reality.
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“Bellingham is starting to create his own fairy tales, he has to be careful: I think there is definitely a danger that Jude Bellingham will start to believe in his own fairy tales.
“There was his celebration, and then when he came off the Slovakian bench, he did something that infuriated them. He later said it was a personal joke aimed at his friends sitting next to them. I don’t know if it’s true or not, I still think he has to be careful because in the first match he ran into Kostić after winning the innings and he was lucky not to get a yellow card for it.
“He wants to put those things aside because there’s someone bigger than you and the other players will be watching for his antics. I think he has to be very careful because the only thing you shouldn’t do is disrespect your opponents. Against Slovakia he apologized, although it would not be the first time something has happened to him. Someone wants to tell you it’s unnecessary and avoid it. “
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