It’s not every day that an athlete from another country celebrates a victory by quoting a former US president.
England midfielder Jude Bellingham posted a clip of the “Man in the Arena” speech delivered by 26th President of the United States Theodore Roosevelt after his team’s 2-1 win over Slovakia in the round of 16 on Sunday.
Bellingham gave a famous speech. Instagram The caption read, “So proud of the boys tonight. We live to fight another day.”
In a speech given in Paris in 1910 he stated:
“It is not the critic who counts, the one who points out where the strong man has stumbled or where the doer could have done better.”
“…But who is there who actually strives to carry out deeds? Who is there who knows great enthusiasm and great devotion? Who is there who expends himself in a worthy cause?”
“At best, he knows the triumph of great achievement in the end; at worst, he at least fails while trying boldly. Therefore, his place will never be the same as those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.”
The Real Madrid midfielder scored a crucial bicycle kick goal five minutes into added time to tie the game at 1-1 and save England from a heartbreaking defeat.
“Who else?” the 21-year-old asked as he celebrated the acrobatic strike, which was England’s first shot on goal of the entire match.
“I think we were 20 seconds away from being eliminated from the European Championships,” Bellingham told The Associated Press. “There’s no denying it was one of the most important moments of my career so far.”
Bellingham is under investigation by UEFA for “breaching a fundamental rule of etiquette” after he grabbed his groin after scoring a goal against Slovakia.
England’s momentum was clear and captain Harry Kane scored the winning goal with a brilliant header in the first minute of extra time to send England through to the quarter-finals.
It was Kane’s 65th goal for England.
Throughout the match, England fans were growing increasingly fearful of a repeat of their humiliating 2-1 defeat at Euro 2016 by Iceland.
The team was unlucky in the first half and boos rang out around the stadium.
Phil Foden had a goal ruled out by VAR, Kane’s header from close range went wide and Declan Rice’s shot hit the post in the 81st minute.
“I had this strange feeling that the game wasn’t over, which I think is absurd, because we were attacking and probing,” England manager Gareth Southgate said. “In the end it was the ball we put into the penalty area that scored the goal.”
“Playing for England is fun but there’s a lot of pressure,” Bellingham said in his post-match interview. According to ESPN:.
“You hear people talk a lot of rubbish. It’s nice to see you get results and give back a little bit.”
England have not won a major tournament since the 1966 World Cup but they may have a chance to do so this time.
The team will face Switzerland in the quarterfinals on Saturday.
