After Argentina defeated England 2-1 behind a stunning late rally, Jude Bellingham did not appear to take it well. The 23-year-old England midfielder capped off a contentious loss with a heated exchange with multiple players in the minutes after the final whistle blew.
After the game, Bellingham was standing by a group of celebrating Argentine players, when he suddenly walked toward the group and slapped one of the reserves, Valentín Barco, on the back of the head. It is unclear whether Barco said something to Bellingham to start the clash, but it led both players, plus others from both teams, to start to argue.
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Footage obtained by Spanish outlet Diario AS showed the angle of Bellingham hitting Barco particularly clearly. Bellingham had to be held back by multiple teammates.
That was far from the only time Bellingham’s frustrations boiled over into confrontation. Earlier in the game, he had exchanged apparent trash talk with Lionel Messi. And after Argentina scored a go-ahead goal in the second minute of stoppage time, Bellingham started jawing with Rodrigo De Paul in the center circle.
Bellingham, who had been excellent throughout the tournament, struggled on Wednesday. The midfielder was held to zero shots or chances created, and didn’t get any touches in Argentina’s box. He was also on the receiving end of some tough tackles, including one by Messi that did not get called.
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Postgame, though, Bellingham appeared to be going through several emotions after the loss, and was crying as he left the field.
It’s unclear whether Bellingham will be punished for the action, given that it happened postgame. England is set to face France in the third place match on Saturday (5 p.m. ET, Fox), but Bellingham’s presence at that game might be in trouble if FIFA decides to sanction the midfielder.
