Jude Bellingham reveals exactly what he said to Messi that sparked last night’s pitch scuffle

England midfielder Jude Bellingham has explained what really went down during his fiery confrontation with Lionel Messi at last night’s World Cup semi final (July 15th). And it appears a lot less dramatic than at first glance.

Although the tense exchange has plenty of people talking, it seems Jude was keen to emphasise that there is no bad blood between him and the Argentina legend.

The exchange came straight after the halftime whistle at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. As the players walked off the pitch, Bellingham and Messi were caught in a brief but heated exchange, with the Real Madrid midfielder appearing to have the final word. Messi then turned back to look at Bellingham before both players disappeared down the tunnel with their teammates.

Jude appeared to get the last word before walking away. Messi responded with a long look in his direction, while Bellingham smiled as he jogged back into position.

Speaking after the match, Jude played down the exchange, explaining that it was simply a reaction to a foul that had just been awarded to Argentina.

Jude said: “We were discussing a foul actually, but it was nothing bad at all.

“I’m sure everyone will do their thing and make it a big deal, but no, it was nothing big really.

“I thought it was a foul earlier and he said, ‘What about the one on me?’ And I was just saying, ‘You’re strong enough to take them’.”

@thebiglybugle

England vs Argentina Jude Bellingham speaks about the footage of him and Messi having words #fifa #worldcup #worldcup2026

♬ original sound – The Bigly Bugle

He then went onto praise the football legend, describing it as a “privilege to play against him” despite England’s disappointing loss.

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“Obviously, I’m on the losing side, which hurts a lot,” Bellingham said. “But it’s a privilege to play against him.”

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A post shared by Jude Bellingham (@judebellingham)

That wasn’t the end of the drama, though. After full time, Jude Bellingham was caught on camera shaking hands with Lionel Messi before appearing to tap Argentina defender Valentín Barco on the back of the head as he walked past.

Several Argentina players immediately reacted, with the confrontation quickly becoming one of the night’s most talked-about moments.

This is actually crazy tho, what’s actually the context behind this moment??pic.twitter.com/VieA34I1Xu https://t.co/6QC3qQLGma

— AB⚕ (@AbsoluteBruno) July 15, 2026

The Three Lions were kicked out of the tournament last night in a devastating 2-1 loss to previous World Cup winners Argentina. Messi’s squad is now set to battle against current European champs Spain in Sunday’s World Cup Final at MetLife Stadium, New Jersey.

Featured image Vva TikTok @cinema_verse_ / @scgoesn

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