Jude Bellingham reveals reason for new celebration as he heads England into winning start at Euro 2024
Jude Bellingham helped kick off England’s European Championship when he scored the only goal against Serbia.
It was far from a perfect performance from Gareth Southgate’s side as they suffered long spells in the second half on their way to their victory.
But Bellingham was always impressive, always available for the ball and driving the team forward whenever he could.
The Real Madrid midfielder capped his performance with a goal in the first half as he entered the penalty area late on and headed home from close range.
Fans have become accustomed to the 20-year-old’s celebration of him standing tall with his arms raised towards fans as they often mimic the same pose.
Jude Bellingham’s late dart into the penalty area set him up for a header, the only goal of the match
He marked England’s opening goal of Euro 2024 with his trademark celebration
But there was also time for a new party with Trent Alexander Arnold
But this time there was a new celebration for fans to enjoy as he celebrated opening the score.
After his goal, Bellingham was mobbed by his teammates and struck the usual pose, but as the team returned to the halfway line Bellingham and Trent Alexander-Arnold took a moment.
They fell to one knee and, facing each other, covered their faces with one hand.
It could well be the birth of another iconic celebration for the England man if he continues his red-hot form in front of goal.
After the match, the former Birmingham midfielder explained the reason behind the celebration with Alexander-Arnold.
Speaking to the BBC as he collected his player of the match award, he said: “When we play against Wolf. One of the employees likes that face when he has no idea what’s going on, so that was a small group party for the Wolf crew.”
For those not in camp, Captain Harry Kane has shed some light on what exactly Wolf is.
England celebrated the opening goal as a group after Bellingham had opened the scoring
Alexander-Arnold praised the goalscorer after he was harassed by his teammates
There were plenty of cheers from the Real Madrid midfielder, who also fit into a knee sled
There was still time for Bellingham and Alexander-Arnold to drop to one knee and cover their faces
For England, the game Wolf of Werewolves, as it is known, emerged around the time of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
It is a card game that requires deception and strategic thinking and is based on a game of role-playing and deduction called Mafia, created by Dimitry Davidoff in 1986.
It pits a small, informed group – the wolves, so to speak – against the uninformed majority, otherwise known as the villagers. Each group then tries to trick the other to win.
Speaking about the England side that played the game at the World Cup, Harry Kane said: ‘There are about 16 or 17 of us playing Wolf and it’s a great way to kill some time. It also helps with team bonding.
‘If they put that wolf card in, you have to lie and that’s not easy, so I think I’m a better villager than a wolf.
“There are certainly some who are better than me at misleading people.”
Declan Rice added: ‘It’s about being the best liar. The villagers have to track down the wolves and the wolves have to lie and tell everyone that they are not wolves. There is a lot of teamwork, working together.;
It appears the game has followed the England squad to this year’s European Championships and they will be hoping the team bond it creates can inspire them to win it all after coming so close three years ago.
