Bellingham says England must remain united after World Cup disappointment

Jude Bellingham says it is crucial that England do not allow the "unity and love" built during their run to the World Cup semi-finals to dissipate, following their disappointing loss to Argentina.

Bellingham scored six goals – including back-to-back braces versus Mexico in the round of 16 and Norway in the quarter-finals – to lead England to the fourth semi-final in their World Cup history.

After Anthony Gordon put them ahead in Atlanta, England dropped deep in a bid to defend that slender advantage and were ultimately beaten 2-1 via late goals from Enzo Fernandez and Lautaro Martinez, both assisted by Lionel Messi.

There have been just two instances of a team scoring first in a World Cup semi-final and failing to advance this century, and both have been by England (versus Croatia in 2018 and Argentina in 2026).

In the aftermath of the Three Lions' defeat, fierce criticism has been directed towards head coach Thomas Tuchel over his perceived negative approach.

Between Gordon's goal and Fernandez's equaliser 30 minutes later, England had a dismal 12% possession share – the lowest figure on record for any team to have led a World Cup match for at least 10 minutes (since 1966).

And, during that same period, Argentina played 160 passes in the final third, compared to just four for England.

Some pundits have called Tuchel's position into question ahead of a home European Championships in 2028, but Bellingham says England must remain together.

He took to Instagram on Friday, posting an image of a note left by England's team driver for the tournament, alongside a message of his own.

"Was really struggling to find the right words for yesterday and the last few weeks, but this pretty much hits the nail on the head from our driver in Kansas City," Bellingham wrote.

"Thank you for the unbelievable support from back home and to those who spent their hard-earned money to travel to America and get behind us. 

"Don't let the unity and love we've seen in our country end with this campaign. When we're together, we can achieve big things… And we will! Love you!"

During the Argentina defeat, Bellingham had 42 touches but, like the Three Lions' captain Harry Kane, none of those came in the opposition's penalty area. 

England cannot fly home just yet, as they must face France in the third-place play-off in Miami on Saturday.

England have featured in two previous third place play-offs, losing both – 2-1 to Italy in 1990 and 2-0 to Belgium in 2018. The only team to lose three such matches are Uruguay.