“I didn’t think he affected any football match” - Paul Merson aims ‘what did he do?’ remark at Jude Bellingham after Euro 2024 row
Former Arsenal winger Paul Merson has been critical of Real Madrid superstar Jude Bellingham's performances for England at the UEFA EURO 2024. The 56-year-old claimed that he did not believe the midfielder 'affected any football match' in a positive way for his side at the tournament.
Bellingham bagged two goals and an assist in seven games at the tournament. He scored England's first goal of the competition, the only goal in a 1-0 win over Serbia in their opening game.
With England trailing Slovakia 1-0 in the 95th minute and on the brink of elimination, he produced a moment of magic with a scintillating overhead strike to level the game. The Three Lions eventually won the game 2-1 in extra time.
In the final against Spain, Bellingham played the ball back into the path of an oncoming Cole Palmer, who slotted the ball home and tied the game at 1-1 (73'). In spite of the effort, England would eventually lose 2-1, with Mikel Oyarzabal scoring the winner in the 86th minute.
Bellingham had a quiet outing for most of the final, barring one moment of controversy. He appeared to have had an apparent fall-out with Southgate, openly showcasing his frustration after the substitution of captain Harry Kane in the 61st minute. The Real Madrid midfielder vented on the sidelines near the England manager, as if to say, 'change something, do something'.
While his contributions were crucial for Gareth Southgate's side, Merson believes that the 21-year-old simply rode his luck and did not have any real impact on the game. Speaking to presenter Jeff Stelling in an episode on the Football's Greatest YouTube channel, he said:
"Well he was fortunate. I sit there now and go, ‘what did he do?’. [He] scored the overhead kick, I didn’t think he affected any football match. He scored a good goal against Serbia and then the overhead kick [against Slovakia]. Well Harry Kane got joint top-goalscorer. I understand we didn’t have any movement, but when Kane comes [deep], Foden and Bellingham have to be prepared to run the other way. No one did that."
"We sacrificed a lot", "It's heartbreaking" - England midfielder Jude Bellingham vowed to come back stronger after EURO 2024 final defeat
England midfielder Jude Bellingham claimed that his side had 'sacrificed a lot' for their EURO 2024 campaign, which ended in a heart-breaking 2-1 defeat to Spain.
Nico Williams' opener (47') was canceled out when the Real Madrid man set Cole Palmer for the equalizer (73'). However, substitute Mikel Oyarzabal scored a late winner (86') to condemn the Three Lions to defeat.
Speaking to reporters after the game, Bellingham said (via GOAL):
"We sacrificed a lot throughout the last week, it's so tough these days with the crazy schedules and then coming together for the end of the season, for one last tournament, it's difficult on the body... For our country, we wanted to give everything and then to lose in that way is really cruel.
"We probably didn't play our best game but there were definitely some good moments. We felt like we got back into the game and then to kind of be sucker-punched with the late goal. It's heartbreaking... It's really disappointing because at some point we do have to deliver... It's important we pick the positives and the negatives together and find a way to one day get England over the line," the Real Madrid star concluded.