Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham explains heated exchange with Lionel Messi during World Cup semi-final | OneFootball

Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham has moved to play down the seriousness of the viral exchange between he and Barcelona legend Lionel Messi on Wednesday.

This comes after the pair grabbed headlines owing to a back-and-forth off the ball.

Last night’s World Cup semi-final showdown between England and Argentina was kickstarted by a whole host of early fouls. One such foul gave rise to debate between the two sets of players, with the aforementioned Messi and Bellingham having been at the heart of things.

After one particular comment on the part of the latter, Messi made clear his disapproval with a facial expression which has dominated much of the post-match chatter.

Speaking to the media in the game’s aftermath, Bellingham was therefore drawn on what exactly he said to illicit this response.

And the all-action midfielder made use of the opportunity to play the situation down, assuring:

“There were zero problems with Messi. We were talking about a foul, actually. There was nothing bad at all. I’m sure everyone will do their job and blow it out of proportion, but for me there was nothing.

“It was a privilege to face Leo.”

Conor Laird – GSFN