Bellingham described his drinking gesture goal celebration as "a bit of a joke" which was aimed at speculation about his off-the-field behaviour as reported by the media this week.
Spanish social media figure recently claimed that the player "loves alcohol too much" and has been to every nightclub in Spain and Bellingham clearly sent a message to the media with a great goal in Real Madrid's 6-1 win over Monaco on Tuesday.
Now, Barnes has defended Bellingham who he believes was unjustly attacked as the England star is an exemplary player.
“All the discussion around Jude Bellingham is exaggerated,” Barnes told Covers.com World Cup betting.
“When I was playing, eyebrows were only raised if you were out all night getting drunk, but that isn’t the case with Jude. He doesn’t miss training, and he hasn’t been fined for any reason. As long as his lifestyle off the pitch doesn’t affect his performance on the pitch, I can’t see there being any issues.”
“If you’re not playing at your best or you’re having a dip in form, people will always try to attribute your behaviour outside of football as a reason behind poor performances, but I don’t believe that is the case here.”
Bellingham responds
Bellingham also responded to the drinking rumours, saying that he does not let it get to him.
"It feels like anyone now can get a camera, say what they want and the whole world just believes them with no evidence.
"I feel there's two ways you can take it. You can cry about it and moan, or you can just roll with it and enjoy it.
“(The gesture) was a bit of a joke back to the fans and to the people who say whatever they want. For me, I know the truth and I know what really goes on in my personal life.
"I know what I give to the game, what I give in the game and what I try to give to the team. All the outside noise doesn't really matter, but it's nice to have a little joke."