Jude Bellingham 'felt like Cristiano Ronaldo' scoring England wondergoal at Euro 2024 as he gives flowers to 'Uncle Marc'
07/02/2024 07:01 PM
Jude Bellingham may have replaced Cristiano Ronaldo as Real Madrid’s next star – and he even felt like him after his acrobatic stunner.
The England midfielder equalised in dramatic fashion in the last 16 clash with Slovakia, where he scored an overhead kick in the fifth minute of stoppage time.
It sparked an epic comeback win for the Three Lions, as Harry Kane scored early in extra time to send Gareth Southgate’s men to the quarter-finals.
The 21-year-old’s emphatic effort was reminiscent of Ronaldo‘s bicycle kick against Juventus in Real’s Champions League quarter-final first leg win in 2018.
Bellingham discussed his memorable strike in the latest segment of England’s ‘Diary Room’ series, where he also hailed teammate Marc Guehi for his involvement in the goal.
Recalling his equaliser, he said: “There was a throw-in just before where they’d not cleared it well, or they kind of shanked the clearance a little bit.
“And you are thinking at that moment, ‘Well if we’re to go through now, something’s got to happen from this throw-in.’
“And you’re just praying for a flick, really hoping that someone can get something on it, and Marc’s is probably the best flick-on header in England history I think.
“He will never take any credit for it, but I think it’s important he knows how appreciative I am and the team are of his contribution.
“It was [the goal] an instinct more than anything, it kind of fell in the perfect spot and it was a little bit behind me.
“When I was in the air, I thought, ‘Oh my God, I’m six feet off the ground and it’s like Ronaldo.’
“But I watched it back and I’ve still got one arm on the floor so it wasn’t the most acrobatic, but I think it was a nice contact.
“And when I turned around on the floor and just saw it rolling in, I thought, ‘Oh my God.’
“Definitely one of the most important and memorable moments of my career so far.”
Bellingham then continued to praise Crystal Palace defender Guehi, who has been arguably England’s most impressive player at Euro 2024.
He remarked: “I’m really big on giving people their flowers, especially when they’ve been as good as he has so far this tournament.”
Before adding: “He’s only a little bit older than me, but I think when you speak to him and when you’re around him, you just get the idea he’s like 40 and he’s played three careers.
“He’s such a nice guy that you actually forget about his physical presence.
“And playing against him, whenever I see Marc go up for a header, I think, ‘It’s nice guy Marc,’ and it’s like, ‘Boom. OK, not so nice Marc.’
“Brilliant guy. Uncle Marc.”
Bellignham will be in action for England in Saturday’s quarter-final clash with Switzerland – live on talkSPORT.
But Guehi will play no part, with the centre-back suspended having picked up his second yellow of the tournament last time out against Slovakia.
talkSPORT is bringing you live commentary of EVERY game at Euro 2024. Tune in via the website or the app, and follow our live Euro 2024 blog for all the latest news, views and reaction to the big moments.
