Bellingham shares bus driver's poem after Argentina end England's World Cup dream

Jude Bellingham shared a poem written by England’s bus driver in Kansas City on Instagram following the team’s 2-1 semi-final defeat to Argentina at the 2026 World Cup, a result that ended England’s hopes of reaching their first final since 1966.

Argentina produced a late comeback in Miami to eliminate Thomas Tuchel’s side, with Anthony Gordon’s 55th-minute opener cancelled out by Enzo Fernandez’s long-range strike before Lautaro Martinez snatched the winner in stoppage time.

The poem, titled “The Lions Way”, was written by Michael Chandler, the team’s driver at their Kansas City base, and reflected on England’s journey across five weeks of the tournament. Bellingham posted it alongside a personal message to supporters.

“Was really struggling to find the right words for yesterday and the last few weeks but this pretty much hits the nail on the head from our driver in Kansas,” Bellingham wrote. “Thank you for the unbelievable support from back home and to those who spent their hard earned money to travel to America and get behind us. Don’t let the unity and love we’ve seen in our country end with this campaign. When we’re together we can achieve big things… And we will! Love yous!”

Tuchel has faced criticism for his tactical approach in the defeat, with many pointing to an overly defensive setup after England took the lead, which allowed Argentina to build pressure and eventually turn the game around.

The evening was not without controversy for Bellingham personally. The Real Madrid midfielder was visibly distressed at full-time and appeared to slap unused Argentina substitute Valentin Barco, an incident that could result in disciplinary action from FIFA.

Bellingham was also involved in a heated exchange with Lionel Messi during the match, though he was quick to downplay the incident afterwards. “It was nothing bad,” he said. “I’m sure everyone will do their thing and make it a big deal but it was nothing big really. I thought there was a foul earlier and he said ‘what about the one on me?’ and I said ‘you’re strong enough to take it’. It was a privilege to play against him — I’m obviously on the losing side, which hurts a lot, but a privilege to line up against one of the best.”