England midfielder, Jude Bellingham, has revealed details of his clash with Lionel Messi, as they lost to Argentina in the semi-final of the 2026 World Cup on Wednesday night.
Bellingham and Messi were caught on camera exchanging strong words as tensions boiled over in the game.
Anthony Gordon gave the Three Lions the lead, before the current holders scored two late goals to qualify for the final.
After the match, Bellingham was asked about the incident with Messi.
He replied: “There were zero problems with Messi.
“We were talking about a frictional shot, actually there was nothing bad at all.
“I’m sure everyone will do their job and blow it out of proportion, but for me there was nothing.
“For me, it was a privilege to face Leo.”