Jude Bellingham thinks he was mistreated by English press after the UEFA Euro 2024

Jude Bellingham says he has got his smile back, after a painful summer when he felt like "the scapegoat" for England's failure at the UEFA Euro 2024. In the press conference before tonight's Liverpool-Real Madrid game, he talked how he felt after the final England lost against Spain.

"I lost my smile a lot playing for England after the Euros, I felt I was a little mistreated in comparison to what I contributed", he said. "I think it was a bit harsh on me. I felt a bit like the scapegoat, maybe I felt a bit sorry for myself".

The 21-year-old player explained he felt that "the whole world was crumbling down on me", specially after the final, and thinks he doesn't deserve the criticism he got, specially after scoring important goals, like the 95th minute goal against Slovakia that saved England from an early elimination.

He also added that some journalists had tried to talk to members of his family during the tournament in Germany, including his grandparents. "I don't think that's fair, it crosses the line of respect", he said, justifying his reluctance to speak to the press, something some media "made it sound like I'm above it, but it's not that at all, I had some personal things going on".

"It's something I've kept to myself, but that was a big thing for me. Family comes first, my nan didn't want to leave her house for the whole summer".

Despite the disappointment in Germany, Bellingham said his smile is back after the last two games with England, with new faces that "brought out the joy in my game", and he still is a key player at Real Madrid, with two goals scored in the last two games. Last week, he won the award for best player in LaLiga last season.