Jude Bellingham is keen on helping England succeed in the upcoming World Cup as he believes that all the players need to be made to “feel loved”, Yankee Scores reports.
This year’s edition of the World Cup tournament is currently being held in North America after the three hosts Mexico, USA, and Canada started the competition on Thursday with a win over South Africa 2-0.
England will start their World Cup campaign next Wednesday as they will play against Croatia in Arlington, Texas.
Bellingham featured in the England national side that finished as runners-up at the Euro 2024 tournament which had been beaten by Spain in the final.
At the time, the national team that had then been managed by Gareth Southgate often found themselves heavily criticized for failing to win the competition despite being heavily favored.
For his part, Bellingham has said that it seemed like he had become a scapegoat for the national team’s poor performance in Europe at that point.
However, the midfielder noted that this time around, something feels different.
Bellingham Talks Tough
“At the Euros we got some things a little bit wrong off the pitch,” he said on England’s Lions’ Den show.
“I don’t feel like the group connected as well as it could have for a number of reasons. Expectation was part of it – we had done well in 2018 and done well in Qatar [for the 2022 World Cup] and when it came to that tournament we were seen as one of two or three teams that should win it.
“We were not playing particularly well so even when we were winning you didn’t get the feeling you were as happy as you should be.
“There has to be that element of relentless and wanting to win but it is the nature of football that wins go out of the system quickly and we should hold on to that moment a little more.
“I think this time round having those experiences… and knowing, for example, that the guy who scores the winning goal in the World Cup final isn’t always the one you’d bet your house on so you’ve always got to be ready, everyone’s got to feel loved and feel a huge part of the team. The other thing is just to enjoy it.”
