For half the night I couldn't get the English scene from the last minute of added time out of my head. Throw-in from the right, Bellingham's header, equaliser and extra time: there it was again, the magical moment that only Jude Bellingham can conjure up on the pitch. England She loves him for that.
With his brilliance, he saved the nation from perhaps its biggest embarrassment at the European Championship. The rest was a formality: the winning goal against Slovakia and passage to the quarter-finals. Bellingham was crucial. That's what outstanding players do. One quickly forgets: he is only 21 years old.
Bellingham's goal celebration and air attack
Still, it drives me crazy. The English were practically eliminated with their cave kickthe whole tournament is a mess. To this day it is not known how and why they collected five points in the preliminary round and are now among the top eight teams.
But Bellingham poses in front of the world's television cameras after his overhead kick as if he had just led England to the Euros. He pulls Harry Kane towards him, spreads his arms and finally scratches where those men think his private parts are.
Dortmund almost went crazy because of Bellingham
A fit of arrogance that is in stark contrast to reality. No humility, no respect for the opposition, no self-criticism – that is how Bellingham is now known. His attitude cannot be explained by his young age alone. That is why BVB are almost going crazy.
He played there for three years and more than tripled his transfer fee from 30 to 103 million euros. Dortmund loved his creativity in midfield. The price for this was high. Finally, he made it clear to each player who was responsible for the strokes of genius and who was responsible for the field work.
At Real Madrid it should be completely different. In his first season he had world stars around him who had won and achieved a bit more than him – Toni Kroos and Luka Modric, for example. But unfortunately, no one in the team can keep up with him from his point of view – then he becomes difficult to tolerate.
Only Bellingham remains in England
In England, they have no choice: they have to accept him as he is. Bellingham is the only one who promises to perform. Harry Kane: a shadow of his former self and nothing like Bayern Kane. Phil Foden: hard-working but ineffective. The rest: mediocre at best.
So that leaves Bellingham. Less than 24 hours later he apologized for his gesture towards the abdomen and declared as a message to friends. You really don't believe him. He's a repeat offender. During the Slovenian anthem He knelt down on the grass and tied his shoes.
I have only one explanation for Bellingham's arrogant appearance after the goal.
Against Bellingham is now even said to be under investigation for the obscene move. after his goal. Is the English star threatened with a quarter-final ban?
At best I can give him credit: he was in the tunnel and did not exaggerate the situation. You could also argue in another way: he does not care about the dignity of the moment in an international match and does not care about respect for the opponent. But real world stars are characterized by the opposite.
I fear that Christoph Kramer's warning will not come true.
His trophy case isn't so full that he has to worry about it. DFB-Cup winner with Borussia Dortmund, Spanish Champion and most recently Champions League winner with Real Madrid: that's all. Not bad for an Englishman. But that doesn't justify his appearance.
I imagine your situation very simply: you earn a lot of money and now you are worth 180 million euros, in your country everyone trusts you and even dedicates a song by the legendary John Lennon to you: “Hey, Jude, then you lose all traction!” .
His coach hides it all with a condescending attitude that can only be explained by the fact that Bellingham periodically saves his job. “He will say things and react like a young man does, but he can decide important games,” says Gareth Southgate.
ZDF expert Christoph Kramer, a world champion himself, is not so forgiving of Bellingham: “You just have to be careful that he doesn't start putting on airs at such a young age, I'm afraid: the warning comes too late – or not at all.