That’s all fair enough. That’s why I started the post with “if”—I think
@domalino and a few others are misattributing the dislike for Bellingham on here and else where to the fact that he snubbed several teams, including City.
Are there petulant fans that dislike him because of that? Of course.
But do
most fans dislike him for that reason? I think that is unlikely.
Also, the assertions that it is only City fans that have this level of dislike for him are simply patently false. There is widespread bemusement and fatigue amongst many sets of fans (clubs and countries) toward both his behaviour and the presses treatment of him, especially in the context of his actual level of performance.
For me it is the cognitive dissonance that appears to be rampant across various sectors of commentary that is the strangest element. He has generally been both poor and petulant on the pitch, exhibiting few—if any—characteristics of a phenom and leader, but so much of what is said and written about him by pundits, analysts, and support influencers says otherwise.
One of the greatest frustrations for me is that I feel gaslit every time I read some piece about him being England’s saviour. It comes off much like the things you read in certain “political” blogs about certain politicians.
I am constantly being told not to believe the evidence of my eyes.