Jude Bellingham's savage comment to referee following England’s loss to Argentina caught on body-cam

In a controversial semi-final which saw World Cup star Jude Bellingham slap Argentina player Valentín Barco, new footage has revealed he also had some pointed comments for the ref.

Bodycam video from the referee has now been made public following the conclusion of the tournament.

The match saw England lose out to Argentina 2-1, meaning that they missed out on the final by a hair's breadth, though England would go on to win a stunning 6-4 victory over France in the third place play off.

But at this moment, in the wake of defeat to Argentina, emotions were running high for the team as they processed the hard news that their World Cup story had come to an end, at least until next time.

The clip, which was released by FIFA, showed Bellingham, one of England's top scorers in the competition, approaching the referee.

There, he can be heard appearing to criticise the ref's decision-making during the match, saying: "Some shocking ones there, but all the best."

Bellingham was one of England's top scorers in the competition (Jared C. Tilton - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)

Many England fans were left furious after the match, with some sharing clips of alleged fouls committed by Argentine players which had gone unpunished by the referees.

But the controversy at the match reached a pinnacle after the final whistle was blown.

Several Argentine fans had brought banners with them to the match saying 'Las Malvina son Argentinas', meaning 'The Falklands are Argentinian', and several players on the Argentinian side caused outrage after displaying such a banner themselves on the pitch.

Argentina invaded the Falklands in 1982 as the ruling military Junta faced mounting problems domestically.

Britain soon sent a naval task force to the islands, including aircraft carriers and submarines, and quickly retook them, and decades later Falklanders would vote overwhelmingly to remain a British overseas territory in 2013.

Many felt that the banner was disrespectful to those who died during the Falklands War, and also broke FIFA's rules about players displaying political symbols on the field, and there were even calls for the side to face severe sanctions over displaying the banner on the pitch.

FIFA has said its independent disciplinary committee was assessing the match report before deciding on any further action.

The banner sparked outrage (Sebastian Frej/Getty Images)

Bellingham also drew attention after the match after he slapped Argentine player Valentin Barco round the back of the head after the match.

The incident then led to a scuffle on the pitch, with emotions running high and players having to be pulled apart after squaring up to each other.

Bellingham also took to Instagram after the match where he shared an emotional letter following England's loss.

Captioning the post, he wrote: “Was really struggling to find the right words for yesterday and the last few weeks but this pretty much hits the nail on the head."

Part of the letter read: “For fortune favours not the loud, Nor always crowns the largest crowd. She often walks beside the one Whose hardest battle has been won Not on the pitch beneath the lights, But deep within, through sleepless nights.

“And when the final whistle sings And victory lifts its golden wings The truest roar will still be heard A soul made strong, A soul assured.”