Jude Bellingham spoke out on alcohol claims

What Bellingham actually said

According to The Associated Press report on WTOP, “Jude Bellingham sends message to fans with ‘drinking’ celebration after goal in Real Madrid rout”, the midfielder gave his clearest public answer after Real Madrid’s 6-1 Champions League win over Monaco. He scored, mimed drinking in his celebration, and later said, “A lot of people say a lot of things” before adding, “I know the truth.” He also said the noise around his private life did not change what he gives to the team.

According to Alex Kirkland’s ESPN report, “Jude Bellingham on drinking celebration: ‘I know the truth’”, Bellingham described the celebration as “a bit of a joke” aimed at speculation about his life away from football. ESPN’s account also notes that he said the reports were inaccurate, which matches the line he took after the match.

Where the allegation came from

According to Real Madrid’s official match report, “Madrid run riot against Monaco at the Bernabéu”, the game itself was emphatic, with Madrid winning 6-1 and securing a place in the top eight of the Champions League league phase with one match to spare. But the football was only part of the story that night. The celebration pulled the rumor into full view and made it impossible to separate the goal from the talk that had been building around him.

According to the same AP report on WTOP, the claims had been circulating in Spanish media and among frustrated fans during a poor stretch for Real Madrid. What is firmly documented in the reporting reviewed here is not evidence of heavy drinking, but the existence of the allegation itself, the dissatisfaction of sections of the Bernabéu crowd, and Bellingham’s direct denial. Based on the public reporting available, this looks far more like rumor and supporter frustration than a substantiated claim.

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Why the celebration became the story

According to ESPN’s Jan. 19 report on the Bernabéu reaction and Kylian Mbappé’s defense of teammates, Bellingham had already been singled out by some supporters during the 2-0 league win over Levante, with Mbappé arguing that criticism should fall on the whole squad rather than on individual players. The Monaco gesture landed in that atmosphere. He was not just answering a rumor, he was answering it during a week in which parts of the stadium had already turned on him.

According to Managing Madrid’s transcript based recap of Bellingham’s April 14 news conference before Bayern Munich, “Jude Bellingham: ‘Real Madrid’s season is on the line against Bayern’”, he returned to the subject nearly three months later and denied it again in even plainer language. He said reports that he liked to drink too much and went out a lot were untrue, then added, “I’m very professional, every day. It was a joke.” He has not backed away from the point since the Monaco match.

Why the criticism has stayed sensitive

According to Carl Markham’s Independent report, “Jude Bellingham hits out at English media for hounding family during Euros”, Bellingham said in November 2024 that he felt mistreated after Euro 2024 and believed he had been made a scapegoat for England’s failure. He also said attention on his family had gone too far. That does not prove a direct link to the Madrid story, but it does help explain why he was quick to answer the latest claim himself instead of leaving it to drift online.

The strongest answer still comes from Bellingham’s own public comments. He says the alcohol claims are false, he says the celebration was a joke aimed at people talking about his private life, and the reporting reviewed here does not present hard evidence that contradicts him. What it does show is a player under pressure, a restless crowd, and a rumor that became bigger the moment he chose to mock it in public.

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Sources: The Associated Press via WTOP, ESPN, Real Madrid, Managing Madrid, The Independent.

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