Jude Bellingham ‘special boy’ despite ‘repulsive’ behaviour, says Thomas Tuchel

England coach speaking to Jude Bellingham during the friendly match against Senegal. PHOTO: AFP

UPDATED Jun 12, 2025, 11:53 AM

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LONDON – England manager Thomas Tuchel said that his own mother finds some of Jude Bellingham’s antics “repulsive” but he does not want to dim the Real Madrid star’s fire.

The German suffered his first defeat in four games as England boss on June 10 when Senegal became the first African side to ever beat the Three Lions in a 3-1 friendly win.

Bellingham thought he had made it 2-2 late on at Nottingham Forest’s City Ground only for the goal to be controversially disallowed before Senegal broke away for a third in stoppage time.

Tuchel had to restrain the midfielder’s protests at the decision at full-time and said it is a balancing act to retain the 21-year-old’s fight without it bubbling over.

“Sometimes you see the rage, the hunger and the fire and it comes out in a way that can be a bit repulsive, for example, for my mother when she sits in front of the TV,” said Tuchel in a wide-ranging interview with radio station talkSPORT on June 11.

“I see that but, in general, we are very happy to have him. He’s a special boy.”

Tuchel also dismissed suggestions England could be better off without Bellingham, who starred in the Three Lions’ run to the Euro 2024 final.

Instead, he called on Bellingham to inspire rather than intimidate his teammates.

“He has a certain something and brings an edge. It’s needed if we want to achieve big things,” he added.

“It needs to be channelled towards the opponent, and not to intimidate teammates or be aggressive towards teammates or referees. He has the fire – I don’t want to dim that, as that’s his strength.

“But the fire comes also with some attribute that can intimidate teammates. Sometimes you see the explosion towards referees and the anger in his game. If he can channel this in the right way he has something that we need and that edge is hard to find.”

Tuchel, who won the Champions League at Chelsea and league titles with French side Paris Saint-Germain and Germany’s Bayern Munich, was hired with the task of ending England’s wait for a major tournament victory since 1966.

Under Gareth Southgate they reached the final of each of the last two Euros, plus a quarter-final and semi-final of the past two World Cups.

Tuchel has a richly-talented squad to choose from but has so far failed to find the right blend in three underwhelming World Cup qualifying wins over Albania, Latvia and Andorra before the Senegal defeat.

“I already have an idea of what to do,” he added with one year to go to the 2026 World Cup.

“We did some experiments in the second camp, not everything was bad, we did some good things but the two games were not good enough.

“It was a good learning and it brings clarity. Each game is a learning situation and helps us mould the team and find solutions.”

On a personal level, he suggested he is tempted to seek a contract extension as England manager beyond the 2026 World Cup up to the 2028 European Championship, despite his team drawing criticism for their recent poor performances.

“I will always be tempted to stay because I love the group and the opportunity, it’s an honour to be England coach,” Tuchel added in his interview with talkSPORT.

“I can tell you that even after the disappointment yesterday (the Senegal defeat).

“If you ask me today, yes. I am enjoying it, I feel the support, trust and respect of people in the Football Association. I wanted a new challenge and environment.” AFP, REUTERS

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