By Fernando Kallas
GELSENKIRCHEN, Germany (Reuters) – Jude Bellingham said being serenaded by England fans with The Beatles’ “Hey Jude!” was music to his ears after the midfielder’s early header gave his side a 1-0 win over Serbia in their Euro 2024 Group C opener on Sunday.
The 20-year-old was named Player of the Match after setting the tempo for much of England’s attacking play and was cheered to the rafters by their fans at the cavernous Arena AufSchalke.
“I listen to the Beatles a lot. My style of music is a bit old, so that that’s right on my street,” Bellingham told a press conference.
“I really enjoy playing in front of the England fans. It’s a different experience for me because obviously I play abroad. So when I can hear an English crowd for the first time every few months, I really enjoy it.
“They give me a lot of appreciation, a lot of love. And I try to give that back with my performances and my energy on the pitch.”
Bellingham enjoyed a remarkable debut campaign with Real Madrid in which he was voted LaLiga’s Player of the Season, scoring 19 goals to help them win the title by 10 points, and helping them claim a 15th Champions League crown.
On Sunday he caused no end of problems for Serbia’s defenders, who resorted to a more physical approach to try to shackle him.
“I felt really confident coming into the game. I couldn’t wait to play such an amazing tournament alongside such amazing group of players. So I think you could see that I was enjoying my football and wanted to make an impact,” Bellingham said.
“We wanted to get the ball away from them because I think we wanted to build an energy for the fans to get behind the team. And when you’re aggressive, it helps in that, trying to be aggressive without the ball as well.
“Yeah, I took a few kicks, but I think it’s something I’ve kind of gotten used to over the last couple of years. And it’s about trying to react to the right way and not lose my head. I think I handled that well tonight.”
(Reporting by Fernando Kallas; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
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