Bellingham caught on camera slapping Barco after England's World Cup exit to Argentina

New footage has emerged showing Jude Bellingham appearing to slap Valentín Barco without provocation in the immediate aftermath of England’s World Cup quarter-final defeat to Argentina in Atlanta, a loss that ended the Three Lions’ tournament hopes.

Argentina came from behind to win the match, with Enzo Fernández equalising before Lautaro Martínez scored the winner to send Lionel Scaloni’s side through to the final. England had led through Anthony Gordon but dropped progressively deeper in the second half and could not hold on.

Barco, an unused substitute, had already antagonised England’s players earlier in the game. The 21-year-old Strasbourg forward rushed towards the England players to celebrate Fernández’s equaliser rather than joining his own team-mates, prompting the referee to intervene and pull him away. No further punishment was issued at the time.

The incident appeared to linger with Bellingham. New footage shows the Real Madrid midfielder watching Argentina’s post-match celebrations before Barco approaches a nearby group of players. Bellingham had already shaken hands with one opponent and appeared composed, but upon Barco’s arrival he moved towards him and clipped him in the face. A push and a heated exchange of words followed.

A brief melee broke out, with both Bellingham and Aston Villa midfielder Morgan Rogers needing to be separated. Backup goalkeeper Dean Henderson also positioned himself as a barrier as Argentine players attempted to reach Bellingham.

England manager Thomas Tuchel defended his second-half tactical decisions, which included introducing additional defenders, and praised his squad’s overall mentality throughout the tournament. “You can discuss this with a million coaches — I have to make a decision on the pitch,” he said. “In the moment, no regrets. The team gave everything and we were very, very close.”

Tuchel also reflected on the broader campaign. “We played one of our better matches, maybe our best match in the circumstances. We played against strong teams in the group, travelled a lot of miles, played at altitude, played with 10 men, played in the heat and we overcame every obstacle. We were very close today.”