Ian Wright has defended Jude Bellingham's attitude, stating that the Real Madrid star's attitude "is not accepted" in England.
Bellingham was issued a ban after England's Euro 2024 round-of-16 win over Slovakia for a gesture he appeared to make towards the opposition bench.
The 21-year-old is still eligible to play for the Three Lions for the remainder of the competition, as it is a suspended sentence.
In the latest episode of the Stick to Football podcast, which features Wright alongside Manchester United legends Roy Keane and Gary Neville as well as Women's Euro 2022 winner Jill Scott, the former Arsenal striker passionately defended Bellingham.
"A personality like Jude," he said. "The way he’s been managed up to this point with the psychology and everything he’s done, he’s in a place where he reminds me of an American athlete – how they’re so invested in themselves and have so much faith in themselves.
"We, as English people don‘t accept that kind of person, don’t accept that kind of, “Wow, he’s having himself,” and so he should.
"He’s shown in adversity that he’s going to go and do it, he believes in himself, so why then does he have to go into an interview afterwards and go the other way – you’ve got to project if that’s where he is, and you can deal with the side-looks from pundits and journalists saying he’s this and he’s that.”
England were moments away from being eliminated from Euro 2024 in the round of 16, before Bellingham's spectacular bicycle kick sent the match to extra time.
UNBELIEVABLE 🤩Jude Bellingham pulls out an overhead kick to save England in the dying moments 🏴#EURO2024 | #ENGSVK pic.twitter.com/px4qLzJQoqJune 30, 2024
Three Lions captain Harry Kane then scored the winner, setting up a quarter-final tie against Switzerland in Dusseldorf.
That match kicks off at 5pm on Saturday 6 July, and will be shown live on the BBC in the UK.
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