Jude Bellingham has explained his “wolf” celebration with Trent Alexander-Arnold after netting England’s opening goal at Euro 2024.

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• Los Blancos midfielder scored early vs Serbia
• Several routines broken out after hitting the net
• One of those offered nod to game with coaching staff

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  The Real Madrid midfielder – who is full of confidence following La Liga and Champions League triumphs at club level in 2023-24 – got the Three Lions off to the perfect start when powering home a header inside 13 minutes against Serbia.

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  WHAT BELLINGHAM SAID

  Bellingham broke out a number of celebrations – gesturing to his ears, performing a knee slide and his trademark hero pose before working through a routine with Alexander-Arnold. He said of that act, which saw both drop to one knee before placing a splayed hand over their face: “The celebration was from a game we play called ‘Wolf’ and one of the staff always holds his face like that when he doesn’t know what’s going on. So it was more a celebration for the backroom staff who put in so much work every day and they won’t receive any awards like this [his man-of-the-match trophy] or get to have the moments we get to have on the pitch, but we value them so much and it’s important going through the tournament that we keep that atmosphere.”

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  The game in question sees one player selected as the ‘wolf’ in a murder mystery, while everybody has their eyes closed, with the others then having to work out who was picked. It is a pastime that has been popular in the England squad for a while, with captain Harry Kane saying at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar: “There are about 16 or 17 of us who play Wolf and it is a great way to kill some time. It also helps with team bonding. When they put that wolf card in, you have to start lying and it is not easy, so I think I am a better villager than I am a wolf. There are definitely a few who are better than me at deceiving people.”

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  WHAT NEXT FOR ENGLAND?

  England battled their way to a 1-0 victory over Serbia, courtesy of Bellingham’s goal, and will be hoping to put in an improved performance – while having more cause for celebration – when facing Denmark in their second Group C fixture on Thursday.

Tags: Futebol
Category: News