Did Kylian Mbappe, Jude Bellingham Not Greet Each Other After World Cup Match? Speculations Rife
Social media chatter suggests not all is well between Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham.
Teammates at club level and rivals on the international stage, Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham clashed in an enthralling third-place play-off at the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Saturday. England stormed into a 4-0 lead against France during an utterly dominant first half before adding two more goals after the break to clinch a 6-4 victory in a ten-goal thriller. While a dead rubber on paper, the England vs France clash provided some intriguing insights on the pitch.
However, plenty seems to have happened off the pitch as well. Wild social media speculation has suggested that Bellingham and Mbappe failed to even greet each other after the final whistle.
While pictures and videos emerged on social media showing handshakes between Bellingham and France's Ibrahima Konate, alongside interactions between several other players, fans could not spot a single visual of a handshake or any form of acknowledgement between Bellingham and Mbappe.
L'art de l'evitement par Bellingham et Mbappe , c'est trop mdr pic.twitter.com/AJA4R0cOCJ
— SIS (@Monsieur_SIS) July 19, 2026
Everyone was talking to their club mate but didnt see mbappe talking to Bellingham. I think there is something wrong pic.twitter.com/JzNZNtamRL
— TINA 🤍 (@Tina_RM5) July 19, 2026
they were praying together like u guys….#FAMILY pic.twitter.com/47pyeC0Wgi https://t.co/5WBaTPiSiZ
— cay (@koralinadean) July 18, 2026
The Bellingham and Mbappe History
Everything has not been smooth between Mbappe and Bellingham since the former joined Real Madrid in 2024, a year after Bellingham's arrival at the club. Carlo Ancelotti's tactical adjustments forced Bellingham to the left flank-a shift the midfielder felt was unfair.
During Xabi Alonso's subsequent tenure from June 2025 to January 2026, Mbappe flourished. While Bellingham remained sceptical, their relationship stayed cordial. This was evident last October when Bellingham sought the France captain's advice after being dropped from the England squad by Thomas Tuchel, given Mbappe's prior experience working with Tuchel at PSG between 2018 and 2020.
Publicly, the pair have always maintained a warm front. Bellingham praised Mbappe's brilliance, sharpness, and technique in August 2024, later noting in February 2025 that while everyone knew how special the forward was, he remained unstoppable. Mbappe returned the compliment in December 2024, describing Bellingham as an "immense player".
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