- Jude Bellingham was the subject of an Adidas advert on the eve of Euro 2024
- Some England players were reportedly at odds as it clashed with team ethos
- LISTEN to It’s All Kicking Off! EUROS DAILY: How do England get the best out of Jude Bellingham?
Jude Bellingham‘s pre-Euro 2024 campaign with Adidas reportedly caused a stir in the England camp.
The Three Lions’ long wait for major trophy will stretch to 60 years after suffering an agonising 2-1 defeat against Spain in Berlin.
Nico Williams opened the scoring, with Cole Palmer equalising for Gareth Southgate‘s men before Mikel Oyarzabal’s later winner.
On the eve of of the tournament Adidas released a near-two minute video centered on Bellingham and cut to the Beatles‘ timeless hit ‘Hey Jude’.
The ad featured clips of fans looking on at England’s historic moments of failure in despair and also included appearances from former Three Lions stars David Beckham, Ian Wright and Frank Lampard.
The ad went down well with supporters but according to The Athletic, some within the England camp felt Bellingham’s ‘portrayal as a saviour’ was ‘at odds with their collective ethos’.
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The same publication reported that the player’s ‘demeanour’ was the subject of some talk within the camp, with the Real Madrid midfielder very-much aware of any criticism of his displays within the British press.
Indeed, despite being elevated to the team’s leadership group, his lack of willingness to front up to the media during England’s difficult moments in the tournament was noted – Wayne Rooney making a pointed case in his column for The Times last month.
Bellingham’s accelerated rise through the England ranks – coupled with his decision to opt to develop his career abroad away from the Premier League – has left him with few genuine bonds within the squad.
The 21-year-old shares a friendship with Trent Alexander-Arnold, but beyond that does not have any deep connections with his team-mates.
Bellingham started Euro 2024 strongly from the back of a hugely successful debut season with Real Madrid.
The 21-year-old scored the only goal against Serbia but was criticised for his performances against Denmark and Slovenia.
The midfielder then scored a stunning overhead kick that kept England’s last-16 tie against Slovakia alive in the dying moments of the game to take it to extra-time.
Bellingham played a part in England’s equaliser in Sunday’s final after Williams had given Spain the lead.
Bukayo Saka found the midfielder, who despite being off-balance, was able to lay it back to Palmer to score a brilliant equaliser.
After the match, Bellingham described the defeat as ‘cruel’ and ‘heartbreaking’
‘To lose in that way is really cruel,’ he told reporters. ‘Again, we probably didn’t play our best game, but there were definitely some good moments and we felt like we got back into the game, and then to kind of be sucker-punched with the late goal… it’s heartbreaking.
‘We all wanted nothing more than to make history and to make the people of England proud and we never managed to do it, we didn’t quite deliver.’