"They want to make an example of me" - Jude Bellingham hits out at La Liga for 2-game ban after foul-mouthed Real Madrid rant
Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham was seemingly upset with La Liga handing him a two-game ban for a foul-mouthed rant last weekend.
The England international scored seconds after the on-field official Gil Manzano blew the full-time whistle during Los Blancos' 2-2 draw with Valencia on March 2. Bellingham ran over to the referee and was then sent off for saying, "It's a f*cking goal", according to manager Carlo Ancelotti.
Opening up about the punishment after Real Madrid beat RB Leipzig 2-1 on aggregate in a Round-of-16 Champions League tie, Jude Bellingham said (via Forbes):
"The one thing I will say is that what happened happened with the referee and the decision to blow the whistle. We all know what happened and we have to remember that he's human, you know, but so am I."
"So I think they should have used a little bit more common sense when kind of marking my actions down like they did."
He added:
"I didn't think I said anything very offensive towards him. I think I ran in a manner that was similar to the rest of my teammates and I feel like at times because I'm new and stuff, they want to make an example of me, which I'm cool with because you know at the end of the day I need to be responsible for my actions, and I gave him the excuse to send me off."
Bellingham is set to miss his side's upcoming La Liga clash against Celta Vigo on Sunday (March 10).
Jude Bellingham reacts to Real Madrid's second-leg performance against RB Leipzig
Real Madrid managed to sneak past German side RB Leipzig after playing out a 1-1 draw in the second leg of their Round-of-16 Champions League meeting on Wednesday (March 6).
Vinicius Junior scored the night's opening goal in the 65th minute, only to see it canceled out by Willi Orban's strike three minutes later. After the match, Jude Bellingham said (via Forbes):
"We weren't at our best and they were at a good level compared to where they're usually at. In the end it was probably the right result being a draw and obviously the work we did in the first leg away at Leipzig has helped us get through."
"It's important that you win games when you're not at your best, and we did that tonight."
Although Real Madrid edged possession stats (54%), they recorded fewer shots (11 vs 20) and attempts on target (three vs four) than their opposition. Brahim Diaz's goal in the 1-0 first-leg win for Los Blancos proved to be the difference-maker.