Jude Bellingham explains how he overcame ‘awful’ England penalty shootout memories

Jude Bellingham has admitted that he was left with “awful memories” of England in penalty shootouts when growing up, thanking Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink for the help preparing him for the pressure of spot-kicks after Euro 2024 quarter-final.

The Real Madrid star stepped up during Saturday’s showdown against Switzerland, forming part of a strong lineup of England penalty takers. Bellingham found the back of the net with ease after Cole Palmer’s opening shot, with all five players etching their name onto the scoresheet.

It was a first for the former Borussia Dortmund player, who was finally given the opportunity in a penalty shootout. Speaking after the game, he admitted that the chance to score helped to erradicate the mental scars from watching his country as a youngster.

“It’s a first for me to be involved in one, to take one,” he told BBC. “I have awful memories kind of growing up and I think the first Euro that I was really interested in was the one against Italy [in Euro 2012] with the dink from [Andrea] Pirlo. 

Hasselbaink has worked with England since 2023 / James Gill – Danehouse/GettyImages

“It kind of stains your memory a little bit, you always think: ‘England in penalty shoot-outs, I’m not sure,’ but it’s really nice to have that experience to add to the locker now. I was really confident in my preparation, confident in the things I talked through with [England assistant coach] Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, he’s stepped up for us massively. 

“It’s the work that he does behind closed doors, with the lads being willing to take on that information, that put us in those situations in order to be able to win. Another thing is [goalkeepers] Dean Henderson, Aaron Ramsdale, Tom Heaton, who have been with us this camp, they’ve been huge in helping us practise the penalties.

“They won’t get the credit they deserve but essentially, if they don’t put in the right effort, you don’t have the right practice to go out and execute. So many people are involved in this win. It’s a massive team win.”

England, and Bellingham, will return to action on Wednesday when they face the Netherlands in the semi-final of the tournament.

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