Bellingham admits England's Euro 2024 camp was 'wrong' as Rogers rivalry intensifies

Jude Bellingham has admitted that England’s Euro 2024 campaign was undermined by problems off the pitch, revealing the squad failed to connect as a group despite reaching the final in Germany.

Speaking on the FA’s Lion’s Den show, the Real Madrid midfielder said: “At the Euros I think we got a few things wrong off the pitch. I don’t feel the group connected as well as it could have for a number of reasons. When it came to the tournament, we were seen as one of two or three teams that could win it. We weren’t playing well, which doesn’t help, so even when we were winning, we didn’t get the feeling that we were as happy as we should be.”

The comments add texture to what has already been an uncomfortable retrospective on Gareth Southgate’s final tournament in charge. Southgate himself has since acknowledged he made too many changes to the squad, and England’s performances throughout Euro 2024 were widely criticised despite the run to the final, where they lost to Spain.

Bellingham’s iconic last-minute overhead kick against Slovakia in the last 16 — one of the moments of the tournament — was, by his own admission, difficult to enjoy in context. “I still remember how I was feeling at the time,” he said. “It always makes me feel a bit uncomfortable because it was such a bad situation. I remember as a kid watching World Cups and Euros where we crashed out against teams we shouldn’t have gone out to and I remember thinking, ‘Wow, I’m about to be a part of one of those moments’. It shakes up the whole of English football.”

Current head coach Thomas Tuchel has spoken publicly about building a “brotherhood” ahead of the 2026 World Cup, a deliberate contrast to the atmosphere Bellingham has described. Tuchel has also prioritised experience and leadership in his squad selections, recalling the likes of Jordan Henderson and Dan Burn.

For Bellingham personally, the immediate challenge is securing his starting place. He faces direct competition from Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers for the No.10 role, with England’s Group opener against Croatia next Wednesday shaping up as the first real test of Tuchel’s preference.

Despite the on-pitch rivalry, Bellingham was warm about his relationship with Rogers. “As a person, he is a top guy, he can get along with anyone, can have conversations with anyone,” Bellingham said. “We have debates that turn into arguments a lot. But we get on like brothers, to be fair. The manager has made it very clear in a lot of the times where he has spoken that we are playing for the same position.”

The dynamic between the two players will be one of the more intriguing subplots of England’s World Cup campaign — a genuine competition for a key role between two players who, by all accounts, genuinely like each other.