22nd January 2026
January 22 – Real Madrid and England superstar Jude Bellingham insists his drinking-gesture celebration at the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu was never meant as provocation, but as satire.
After scoring Real’s sixth in a 6–1 Champions League demolition of Monaco, the England midfielder laughed and mimed lifting a drink to his mouth. The celebration was immediately clipped, shared, and debated throughout the football world.
For Bellingham, it was a pointed response to speculation about his off-field life.
“A lot of people say a lot of things,” he told TNT Sports. “There’s two ways you can take it: you can cry about it and moan, or send a lawyer, or you can just roll with it and enjoy it. It was a bit of a joke back to the fans and the people who say whatever they want.”
English players have had a long and complicated relationship with drinking culture, particularly where its biggest stars are concerned. Bellingham’s gesture inevitably stirred memories of Paul Gascoigne at Euro ’96 after scoring one of football’s great goals against Scotland, with teammates pouring imaginary alcohol down his throat in homage to the ‘dentist chair’ chaos of a pre-tournament trip to Hong Kong.
“I know the truth, I know what really goes on in my personal life,” Bellingham said. “I know what I give to the game and the team. All the outside noise doesn’t really matter but it’s nice to have a bit of a joke.”
Bellingham had been whistled by sections of the Bernabéu crowd days earlier and had already moved to shut down reports questioning his relationship with former coach Xabi Alonso. “Do not believe everything you read,” he posted on his JB5 app.
He remains realistic about scrutiny. “The fans pay their money… they’re entitled to say what they want,” he said. “It’s not the nicest thing in the world, but they’re entitled to their opinion.”