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Jude Bellingham has clarified that his on-pitch exchange with Lionel Messi during England’s World Cup semi-final loss to Argentina was merely about a foul, after footage of their animated interaction went viral online.

Argentina’s captain Messi created both of his team’s late goals as the reigning champions shattered England’s hopes with a 2-1 win in Atlanta. While England’s key midfielder Bellingham had delivered standout performances in the last-16 and quarter-final stages, he was relatively subdued in the semi-final encounter.

The Real Madrid star, who speaks fluent Spanish, was seen conversing with Messi in the first half during a pause in play. The moment ended with Messi making a sharp facial gesture while Bellingham walked away with a laugh.

When questioned about the incident after the match, Bellingham dismissed any controversy, stating: “We was discussing a foul actually, it was nothing bad. I’m sure everyone will do their thing and make it a big deal but it was nothing big really.”

He added: “I thought there was a foul earlier and he said ‘what about the one on me?’ and I said ‘you’re strong enough to take it’, you know what I mean.

“It was a privilege to play against him, it was nothing like that against him. I’m obviously on the losing side which hurts a lot but a privilege to line up against one of the best.”

Following the final whistle, Bellingham was involved in another incident, this time with Argentina substitute Valentin Barco, appearing to slap the back of Barco’s head. It is yet to be confirmed if any disciplinary action will follow. England are set to play France in the third-place playoff on Saturday in Miami.

England had initially gone ahead in the 55th minute through Anthony Gordon, but the Three Lions retreated deep, switched to a five-man defence, and allowed Argentina to dominate the midfield, paving the way for the South Americans to turn the game around.

England manager Thomas Tuchel has faced heavy criticism for his tactical approach and second-half substitutions, though he maintained that he had “no regrets.”

“You can discuss this with a million coaches [but] I have to make a decision on the pitch,” Tuchel told the BBC.

“I analysed the match and I did it a certain way so that’s my responsibility. In the moment, no regrets. The team gave everything and we were very, very close. We deserved to be up 1-0.

“We played one of our better matches, maybe our best match in the circumstances. The team was top, we couldn’t get over the line but no regrets.”