England superstar Jude Bellingham has been accused of slapping Argentina’s Valentin Barco in the back of head following their World Cup semi-final thriller on Thursday morning (AEST).

After holding an early lead, England lost the pulsating encounter 2-1 and, as Argentina celebrated, a bitterly disappointed Bellingham appeared to whack Barco in the back of the head.

The incident sparked a fiery end to the clash in Atlanta, and tense scenes followed as Barco’s teammates turned on the Real Madrid star.

It was suggested by BBC Radio that Bellingham was earlier annoyed by Barco, who was seen running across to the England bench to celebrate their ticket to the World Cup final right in front of coach Thomas Tuchel and his players.

But fans were less than impressed with Bellingham, who already has a fickle relationship with many England supporters.

“That Bellingham slap on Barco was disgusting,” one fan raged on social media.

“The narrative would’ve been completely different if it was an Argentina player doing that.”

Another fan said: “Horrible what Jude Bellingham did in the end. He hits Barco in the back with a sneak attack and totally without provocation. Sore loser doesn’t even begin to cover it.”

Another said, “That is awful from Jude,” while another called it “unprofessional”.

Bellingham had been a star for England throughout the tournament, scoring six goals and one assist from their six matches, including braces against Mexico and Norway.

He cut a seriously dejected figure after the semi-final loss to Argentina, and was clearly full of emotion after the final whistle blew.

Bellingham is a polarising figure in the game, who is often called arrogant by fans due to his demeanour and attitude towards media.

The fact that the 23-year-old left Birmingham City and competes in the Spanish football league (LaLiga), has also not endeared him to many English supporters.

Ahead of the World Cup, the Daily Mail ran the headline, “Don’t bring Jude”, calling Bellingham a “divisive soloist”.