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Friends turned rivals: The story of Erling Haaland and Jude Bellingham

From El Nacional · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • Erling Haaland and Jude Bellingham, former Borussia Dortmund teammates and friends, will face each other as rivals when Norway plays England in the 2026 World Cup.
  • The two players formed a strong bond during their time at Dortmund, winning the German Cup together before moving to Manchester City and Real Madrid, respectively.
  • They have previously competed against each other in the Champions League for their clubs, with Bellingham having the edge in their most recent encounter.

The upcoming 2026 World Cup match between Norway and England will pit former Borussia Dortmund teammates Erling Haaland and Jude Bellingham against each other, turning a strong friendship into on-field rivalry.

Bellingham, who described Haaland as "like a brother" and "even better person than he is a forward," joined Dortmund in 2020 at 17, with Haaland, then 20, arriving the same year. Their shared time at the German club saw them win the German Cup in the 2020-2021 season and participate in club activations that leveraged their bond.

Their paths diverged as Haaland moved to Manchester City for 60 million euros in July 2022, followed by Bellingham's transfer to Real Madrid for 127 million euros a year later. Both players have since achieved significant success, with Haaland winning the Champions League with City in the 2022-2023 season and Bellingham lifting his first Champions League trophy with Real Madrid in the 2023-2024 campaign.

This international clash marks their first time competing against each other representing their nations, but they have prior club-level encounters. They faced off during the 2022-23 Champions League group stage and again in the 2025-26 Champions League Round of 16, where Bellingham's Real Madrid defeated Haaland's Manchester City. The upcoming World Cup match offers Haaland a chance for retribution against his friend.

He is like a brother to me, he is even a better person than he is a forward.

— Jude BellinghamBellingham described his friendship with Haaland during their time at Borussia Dortmund.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by El Nacional in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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