Haaland praises Bellingham as 'world class' after brace sends England to World Cup semis

Jude Bellingham scored his second consecutive brace to fire England into the World Cup semi-finals at Norway’s expense, prompting generous praise from the man on the other side of the result — Erling Haaland. The Manchester City striker, who played alongside Bellingham at Borussia Dortmund, set aside the disappointment of Norway’s exit to call the 23-year-old midfielder one of the finest players on the planet.

“Real Madrid and England are lucky to have Jude Bellingham,” Haaland told reporters after the final whistle. The tribute carried particular weight given the context: Haaland had just watched his international side eliminated by a player he knows better than most.

Haaland also moved to defend Bellingham against a recurring line of criticism — that a player of his profile does not score enough goals. “Sometimes they criticize Jude Bellingham for not scoring enough goals, but he does not deserve that criticism,” Haaland said. “He’s a midfielder, and yet he still scores, goes forward, dribbles. He’s world class.”

The Norwegian went further, suggesting Bellingham’s appeal transcends club allegiances. “Everyone wants Jude Bellingham on their team,” he added, before delivering what amounted to the clearest possible endorsement: “He’s one of the best players in the world.”

Thomas Tuchel’s side will also have been relieved by the manner of Bellingham’s performance beyond the scoresheet. Having entered the quarter-final one yellow card away from suspension, he came through the 90 minutes without a booking, preserving his availability for the semi-final against Argentina on Wednesday. With yellow cards cleared after the last-four stage, Bellingham is now free to feature in the final should England progress.