Jude Bellingham hit back at two Valencia players who appeared to mock him for failing to win the Ballon d’Or during Saturday’s match between Los Che and Real Madrid.
Harry Kane was crowned the best player in the world in 2026 at this year’s ceremony in London back in October. The former Tottenham Hotspur striker fended off the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Lamine Yamal to win the prestigious award, becoming the first Englishman to claim the accolade since Michael Owen in 2001.
The number nine was rewarded for another ridiculously prolific campaign, which saw him net 64 goals in 56 appearances for Bayern Munich, before scoring six goals for England en route to the World Cup semi-finals.
Bellingham, who enjoyed another fine season with Real Madrid and an outstanding summer tournament with the Three Lions, narrowly missed out on the Ballon d’Or’s top ten, finishing eleventh.
Jude Bellingham Responds to Ballon d’Or Taunts
Real Madrid strolled to a 3-0 victory over Valencia at the Mestalla on Saturday evening, ensuring they remain just three points behind Barcelona in La Liga heading into the November international break. Goals from Federico Valverde, Arda Guler and Kylian Mbappe secured Los Blancos the three points, leaving Valencia stranded in the relegation zone.
Clearly, the Eastern Spanish side’s players were left frustrated by the outcome of the encounter, as it continued their poor run of form. Two of Javier Aguirre’s players seemed particularly agitated, attempting to wind Bellingham up with taunts about the Ballon d’Or.
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Mavio and Pepelu were caught teasing the former Birmingham City man on Movistar’s broadcast of the match. Although it’s difficult to make out exactly what the two Valencia stars were saying to Bellingham, given they mostly had their backs to the cameras, the England international’s response revealed the essence of what they were getting at.
“The Ballon d’Or?” Bellingham responded.
“I don’t care about the Ballon d’Or, are you the ones who give it out?”
Evidently not impressed by his counterparts’ attempts to provoke a hasty reaction, Bellingham’s quick-witted clapback seemingly eventually defused the situation.
Given the midfielder ended the 2025/26 campaign with no winners’ medals in his back pocket, he likely wasn’t expecting to even be in the conversation for the Ballon d’Or. He certainly enjoyed a successful individual season for Real Madrid and England, but he wasn’t even tipped to make the podium.
Had these jibes come back in 2024, when Bellingham finished third in the Ballon d’Or rankings, perhaps they might’ve prompted a more aggrieved reaction from the 23-year-old.
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