Jude Bellingham received lots of praise for a one-of-a-kind interview after being named FIFA’s ‘Best Player of the Match.’
Jude Bellingham said he didn’t feel he deserved to be named Player of the Match after England’s 0-0 World Cup draw with Ghana.
England had hoped to keep their perfect record at the World Cup after beating Croatia 4-2 in their first Group L match. But unlike the open game against Croatia, their match against Ghana in Boston was much tougher, as the Ghana team defended very well.
Ghana nearly scored late on when striker Prince Adu got through on goal but took a heavy touch, allowing England’s Ezri Konsa to catch up and stop him. Ghana’s full-backs, Marvin Senaya and Gideon Mensah, played really strongly, and England only hit the target with 3 of their 19 shots.
England’s best chance came near the end when Nico O’Reilly headed the ball against the crossbar, and then Harry Kane fired a volley over on the rebound. Bellingham was taken off in the 73rd minute but still won FIFA’s ‘Superior Player of the Match’ award.
However, in his interview after the game with BBC Sport, Bellingham quickly said he didn’t think he deserved it. “I probably should have gone to one of their players,” he said, praising Ghana’s tough defense. “They defended so well. We had a few chances, but it was hard to get into the game. I’m grateful for the vote, but fair play to Ghana.”
He added, “It’s like second game fever with England, isn’t it? We win the first match, then draw the second. But it’s okay. Ghana played for a draw since it helped them move forward, and they did a great job.”
After the match, Bellingham had a heated exchange with Ghana assistant John Paintsil, who played in English football before. Bellingham also spoke with Ghana’s head coach Carlos Queiroz at half-time.
Following this, teammate Morgan Rogers and assistant coach Anthony Barry stepped in to calm things down. Queiroz told ITV’s Gabriel Clarke, “I wanted to tell him to calm down after a tackle that could have been a yellow card. It was dangerous and on a player who wasn’t fully fit. There were some harsh words, and that’s how the situation started.”