Jude Bellingham allegedly aimed brutal dig at Barcelona after clash with Pedri during Real Madrid's Clasico win

Bellingham delivered another match-winning performance in El Clasico with a goal and an assist in Real’s 2-1 victory over Barcelona. The England midfielder continued his trend of being a decisive player against Barcelona, playing a pivotal role in landing the three points. Bellingham a provided a perfect through ball for Kylian Mbappe to open the scoring in the 22nd minute. He then displayed his attacking instinct by scoring the winner just before half-time, expertly tapping in a headed pass from Eder Militao. It was a performance that erased fears over whether Bellingham would get back to his best after recovering from shoulder surgery as he helped Real Madrid go five points clear at the top of La Liga.

However, Bellingham has also been accused of referencing the infamous Negreira case after an incident involving Pedri and referee Cesar Soto Grado. After a foul by Bellingham in the second half, Pedri appealed to referee Soto Grado to send him off. According to reports in Spain, Bellingham responded mockingly, telling Pedri, "Not even with Negreira!". The alleged remark was a jab at the ongoing investigation into Barca paying millions to Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira, a former vice-president of Spain's refereeing committee. The incident heightened tensions between the rival clubs during the heated match.

The Negreira case is an ongoing sports corruption investigation into payments made by Barcelona to Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira, the former vice president of Spain's Technical Committee of Referees (CTA). Between 2001 and 2018, Barcelona paid companies linked to Negreira around £7.3 million ($9.7m). While the club claims these payments were for legitimate technical reports, prosecutors allege they were intended to influence refereeing decisions. 

In 2024, a Spanish court dismissed bribery charges because Negreira was not deemed a public official, but the investigation continues under sports corruption allegations. Evidence gathered includes "phantom reports" and missing documentation. The scandal has damaged Barcelona's reputation and led to investigations by UEFA, with rival clubs like Real Madrid joining the legal proceedings.

The latest Clasico was an incident-packed match for Bellingham, who was at the heart of everything Real Madrid did well, but he was also been embroiled in off-the-ball incidents, which have detracted from his fine performance. The England international was caught on camera making a lewd gesture, pointing toward his crotch while sticking out his tongue in front of supporters. The incident quickly spread across social media, drawing comparisons to the same gesture Bellingham made at Euro 2024 after scoring for England against Slovakia, for which UEFA issued him a £25,000 fine and a suspended one-match ban.

And there was another incident, involving Barcelona wonderkid Lamine Yamal, who, just days before the massive clash, angered Real players by saying, "yes, they steal, they complain all the time", on Twitch. Hours after the game, Bellingham took to Instagram to share some photographs from the match, and in the caption, the England star took an obvious swipe at Yamal. Bellingham wrote: "Talk is cheap. HALA MADRID SIEMPRE!!! 

But Bellingham was keen to focus mainly on the win. Speaking to the club's official website, he said: "It’s a very important victory for us. We’re very happy and it’s a good day. We all put in a huge effort. That’s why we deserve the three points. In the first half, we were really decisive with the ball. Every time we had possession, it ended with a good shot or something positive. In the second half, it was more defensive work. (Eder) Militao, (Dean) Huijsen, (Alvaro) Carreras and (Dani) Carvajal when he came on were very good. But it was a magnificent performance from the whole team."