Ex-Real Madrid star defends Bellingham and says outburst is English 'thank you'

The Real Madrid and England midfielder was shown a straight red card against Osasuna on Saturday.

Referee Jose Munuera Montero dismissed Bellingham due to an on-field altercation between the pair during the 1-1 draw.

Montero has accused Bellingham of saying 'f*** you' to him, although the England international insists he said 'f*** off'.

The 21-year-old has been backed by former Real Madrid man Rafael van der Vaart, though, in the wake of the incident.

Speaking on Rondo on Ziggo Sport, Van der Vaart explained: "What really annoys me in England is: everyone talks with 'f*** this', 'f*** that', but if I say that on television, I get cancelled."

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The host then pointed out that the former Tottenham midfielder had used the word himself on TV recently.

Van der Vaart admitted he had, before adding: "I'm not saying that I've been cancelled, I can still go there, but it's just so hypocritical.

"Everyone talks like that. It's not polite, but it's almost like 'thank you'. Seriously, especially in England."

He continued: "I think 'f*** off' can be said in an emotional moment. It's normal language on a field, even in his own country. I do think there's quite a difference between saying 'f*** off' and 'f*** you.'"

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Van der Vaart was not the only former player to defend Bellingham, with Marco van Basten and Mark van Bommel also sharing similar views.

Van Basten said: "I think the red card is exaggerated and really stupid. To get a red card, you should do much more crazy stuff. A yellow card is enough."

Meanwhile, Van Bommel said: "A lip reader needs to be involved here, but a referee will always win this. It doesn't have to be this way, but the federation cannot go against a referee."

The red card was the third of Bellingham's senior career and his second since joining Real Madrid in 2023.

He was previously shown a straight red card for dissent at full-time in a match against Valencia in March last year.

Bellingham also now faces a nervous wait to discover the extent of his suspension as a result of the red card.

League rules on insulting officials state that he could be hit with a suspension of up to 12 matches.

His dismissal also saw Real Madrid play more than half the match with ten men as Osasuna pegged them back after the break.

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The result allowed Barcelona to leapfrog their bitter rivals and move to the summit of La Liga as they got the better of Rayo Vallecano on Monday night.

Barca are now ahead of Real Madrid on goal difference with 14 matches remaining this season.