Bellingham and Haaland: Dortmund friends face off in World Cup quarterfinal

Hupu Football News — 4 minutes ago

If Jude Bellingham scores against Norway tomorrow and sits in a lotus position to celebrate, no one would be surprised. And if Erling Haaland finds the net, he will celebrate with his arms wide open.

The reason? The English midfielder and the Norwegian striker—set to reunite in the World Cup quarterfinal in Miami—are so close that they do not hesitate to tease each other during matches, even borrowing each other's goal celebrations. This was on full display in the first leg of the Champions League playoff between Real Madrid and Manchester City (3-2, February 11, 2025): after scoring the winning goal in the 90+2nd minute, Bellingham marched like a soldier in a parade—exactly what Haaland had done after opening the scoring earlier (19th minute).

In recent years, whenever Real Madrid and Manchester City face off, the two frequently chat and show friendliness on the pitch, sometimes even during play.

"They Are Both Full of Confidence and Constantly Help Each Other"

Their friendship began with their shared experience at Borussia Dortmund. In June 2020, 17-year-old Bellingham transferred from Birmingham City for €25 million, carrying the aura of a prodigy. Haaland, who had joined six months earlier at age 19 from Salzburg for €25 million, had a similar status and situation.

"After a few training sessions, I knew they were destined for the biggest clubs," recalled then-head coach Lucien Favre. "They never refused extra individual training. Erling often practiced finishing from crosses after group sessions, while Jude worked with us on improving his standing foot and left-foot technique..."

An Englishman and a Scandinavian grew close primarily because of their shared obsession with rapid improvement.

But there was more to it. According to Haaland's biographer Lars Sivertsen, author of The Incredible Story Behind the World's Best Goalscorer (Ebury Press, 2023):

"Erling Haaland is a natural competitor, and in the locker room, he naturally gravitates toward players he feels can help him win... Jude Bellingham is one of them."

As former Dortmund supervisory board chairman Hans-Joachim Watzke noted, their on-field complementarity quickly became apparent:

"They are both full of confidence. The problem (with such strong personalities) arises when they play similar positions. But Jude plays in midfield, Erling up front, and they constantly try to help each other."

According to Transfermarkt, in the 63 matches they played together for Dortmund, Bellingham provided 14 assists, half of which were for Haaland. Together as starters, they won one trophy—defeating Leipzig in the DFB-Pokal final (4-1, May 13, 2021).

A Close Bond That Impacted the Locker Room

A few months later, after Dortmund's Champions League away win over Beşiktaş (2-1, September 15, 2021), they publicly showcased their "brotherhood": during a TV interview, Haaland was interrupted by Bellingham, who kissed him on the cheek. This moment showed their relationship had transcended sports, especially given their shared love for pranks—which prompted Dortmund to release a strange video on Valentine's Day 2022. Against syrupy background music, they took turns saying cheesy pick-up lines to each other, such as: "Is your name Google? Because you have everything I'm searching for."

This closeness sometimes created distance with teammates—who complained that Haaland's mind was already elsewhere months before his departure to Manchester City (€75 million) in June 2022, while Bellingham occasionally seemed overly tense on the pitch until he joined Real Madrid (€103 million, excluding bonuses) in June 2023.

Separation never affected their connection, as evidenced by an anecdote Bellingham shared with the BBC during the 2022 World Cup—when Norway failed to qualify:

"Erling and I talk often. After the first match (a 6-2 win over Iran, where the Real Madrid man scored), he texted me saying 'Well played!'"

However, given the critical importance of tomorrow's showdown for both players, it is uncertain whether Haaland would make such a gesture if the Three Lions win in Miami.

Source: L'Équipe

International Football News

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Both Real Madrid and Manchester City probably want to pair Haaland and Bellingham, but it's unlikely for either.

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So Bellingham later told Mastantuono about it, right?

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