MADRID (AP) — Jude Bellingham responded to calls for partying too much with a “drunken” celebration after scoring a goal during Real Madrid’s 6-1 win over Monaco. champions league on tuesday.
Bellingham scored Madrid’s sixth goal in the 80th minute at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium and celebrated by making signs with his hands as if he had been drinking.
Spanish media reported earlier in the week that some Madrid fans had complained that Bellingham was spending too much time partying amid the team’s struggles.
“A lot of people are saying a lot of things, and it feels like now anyone can stand in front of a camera and say whatever they want, and the whole world believes it without any evidence,” Bellingham said. “I think there are two ways to take it. You can cry and moan about it and send a lawyer, or you can just shut up and enjoy it. It was just a little joke on the fans and people who say whatever they want.”
“I know the truth. I know what’s really going on in my personal life,” he said. “I know what I’m giving to the game, what I’m giving to the game, what I’m trying to give to the team, what I’m giving to the team. The outside noise is not an issue at all, but it’s good to have a little joke.”
Bellingham was one of the players who was jeered by the Bernabeu crowd before and during Saturday’s 2-0 Spanish league win over Levante. There was some heckling against Vinicius Junior Although it was early in the game, most of the crowd was rooting for their team for the rest of the game.
Bellingham said fans pay for tickets and have a right to complain if they’re dissatisfied, but it’s much easier when they’re behind the team like they were on Tuesday.
“I don’t think it’s necessarily beneficial for the team or for the individual,” he said. “It’s not the greatest thing in the world, but of course they’re entitled to their opinion. We have to react the same way we reacted in the last two games. The second half the other day and the full 90 minutes today were performances that the fans want to see and if we want to be successful this season we need to perform not just for the fans but for ourselves.”
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