ENGLAND superstar Jude Bellingham played down his fiery exchange with Argentina captain Lionel Messi that went viral during an intense World Cup encounter.

The Three Lions crashed out of the semi-finals after a 2-1 loss to their bitter rivals on Wednesday at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia.

Thomas Tuchel’s side opened the scoring with Anthony Gordon on 55 minutes but the reigning world champions fought back in the latter stages of the match with goals by Enzo Fernandez and Lautaro Martinez.

But a heated confrontation between Bellingham, 23, and Messi, 39, caught the fans’ eye during the first half.

The World Cup stars traded words after referee Ismail Elfath had given a foul.

It was the Real Madrid star who appeared to get the last word in, leaving the Argentina legend looking a bit stunned before walking off.

The Inter Miami superstar gave Bellingham a snarky look and waved him off with his head on the way off the field.

However, the versatile midfielder insisted there was “nothing bad at all” between the two after the match.

The England star claimed they were just discussing the foul and that was the end of it.

Bellingham said: “We were discussing a foul actually, but it was nothing bad at all.

“I’m sure everyone will do their thing and make it a big deal, but no, it was nothing big really.

“I thought it was a foul earlier and he said, ‘What about the one on me?’ And I was just saying, ‘You’re strong enough to take them’.

“It’s a privilege to play against him, it was nothing like that against him.

“Obviously I’m on the losing side, it hurts a lot but it’s a privilege to play against one of the best.”