Jude Bellingham's most controversial moments: From calling out Borussia Dortmund team-mates to Real Madrid red cards for swearing at referees

Bellingham, by most accounts, is an excellent team-mate. He seems to have good relationships with his fellow Madridistas, and is close with England competriot Trent Alexander-Arnold. But he hasn't always seen eye-to-eye with his colleagues on the pitch.

There were scattered reports of his presence in the Dortmund dressing room proving detrimental towards the end of the 2022-23 season, and in April exchanged words with Emre Can as his side collapsed in the final stretch of the Bundesliga title race.

Can would later argue that the midfielder "has a lot to learn" about being a pro.

But that incident wasn't Bellingham's only Borussia bust-up. He made headlines with an emotional interview after Dortmund lost to Bayern Munich in December 2021, as a controversial penalty decision made by referee Felix Zwayer handed the Bavarians a win they barely deserved.

Bellingham made his sense of injustice clear in his post-match interview: "You can look at a lot of the decisions in the game, you give a referee that has match-fixed before the biggest game in Germany, what do you expect?"

Then-Bayern CEO Oliver Kahn was irate, and dubbed Bellingham's words "a step too far." He was handed a hefty fine, and narrowly avoided a ban.

Dortmund and Chelsea engaged in a heated contest in the Champions League in March 2023. Bellingham's side took a 1-0 lead to Stamford Bridge, and were favoured to beat a team languishing in mid-table in the Premier League. But it proved to be a testy night.

Bellingham missed a good chance, and Kai Havertz was handed a controversial penalty retake - his conversion proving decisive in a 2-1 aggregate win. Bellingham had every right to feel aggrieved after the result, but still lost his temper after full-time. The midfielder shoved a cameraman who stalked him around the west London turf, and engaged in a heated conversation with Marc Cucurella.

He didn't mince words after full-time, either: "I don’t want to get in trouble, I’ve paid enough to them lot. That was disappointing and the fact they’ve had a retake is a joke."

Perhaps the most concerning outburst of Bellingham's time in Germany came in February 2022, when the Dortmund midfielder screamed at his left-back, Nico Schulz.

It did, admittedly, come at a crucial juncture of a testy contest. Dortmund were trailing Rangers 6-4 in aggregate in the second leg of their Europa League knockout tie whe Schulz overhit a pass that was aimed at the feet of Bellingham, who couldn't control the pinged ball. Bellingham's outburst, though, was of little justification, as he turned to Schulz, and unleashed a range of expletives.

"You can't get one f*cking pass off, you're f*cking sh*t! Every f*cking time!" he was heard saying. Don't sit on the fence, Jude...

Passion is something that comes with wearing your national team's shirt, and across 40 appearances for England, Bellingham has done little but impress. He has been the Three Lions' standout performer at two successive tournaments, and almost always pops up with a moment of magic when the team needs him the most.

Still, his international career hasn't come without a fair few outbursts, one of which was picked up by a particularly sensitive microphone, which caught Bellingham yelling "you f*cking c*nt!" after failing to chase down an opponent when England took on Wales at the 2022 World Cup.

Though Bellingham's outburst wasn't hurting anyone outside of the odd parent who had to explain to their children what their favourite player was talking about on the pitch, it was yet another sign of how desperate he is to succeed.

In the 99th minute of Real Madrid's clash with Valencia in March 2024, Bellingham thought he had bagged a dramatic winner. The Englishman nodded a cross into the bottom corner and wheeled away in celebration, arms spread to acknowledge a dramatic turnaround after Los Blancos had been 2-0 down in the first half..

Instead, he was left in a state of disbelief after realising that referee Gil Marzano had blown the final whistle while Brahim Diaz's teasing cross was floating in the air. Bellingham reacted as many would, storming up to the official and offering some choice words after the controversial decision: "It's a f*cking goal, the ball is in the air, what the f*ck is that?!" he screamed.

Manzano reacted by flashing the red card at the Madrid No.5, and despite an appeal from the club, he was suspended for two matches following his outburst. It was the first time Bellingham's reputation had been damaged in La Liga - but it wouldn't be the last...

Bellingham's most infamous moment in an England shirt to date came straight after what is arguably his most iconic; having just bagged an incredible overhead-kick equaliser to save England's skin against Slovakia in the 95th minute of their last-16 tie, the midfielder performed a lewd gesture towards his crotch.

Most people didn't even notice at the time amid the wild celebrations for the leveller, and Bellingham later insisted it was an "inside joke" between friends. However, UEFA launched an investigation into the incident to leave the Three Lions sweating on their star man's availability for the quarter-finals after they scraped through.

Luckily, the 21-year-old escaped with a fine rather than a ban, with ex-manager Gareth Southgate jumping to his defence and suggesting the gesture was made in the heat of the moment.

Bellingham's second La Liga red card was remarkably similar to his first, as he was again dismissed for using foul and abusive language towards a referee against Osasuna in February 2025. However, rather than emerging from a game-changing flashpoint that got the midfielder hot under the collar, Bellingham's latest red was all rather innocuous.

After a couple of heavy challenges from the home side went unpunished during the first half at El Sadar, Bellingham could be seen speaking to referee Jose Luis Munera in the 39th minute. But just as the two looked to have discussed their differences in opinion, Bellingham was given his marching orders, with Munera later claiming the player had said "f*ck you" during their chat.

Bellingham denies the claim, and insists he merely said "f*ck off" as a parting word, but the damage was done, and 10-man Madrid threw away a lead to draw 1-1. Quite whether Bellingham deserved the red card remains up for debate, but it was just another example of him allowing his mouth to get him in trouble once more.