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'Cute-cumber': Haaland, Bellingham bond goes viral ahead of Fifa World Cup clash
Football is often not just about sport, but about the personal side — the laughs, the tears, all the moments that make it humane
- PUBLISHED: Sat 11 Jul 2026, 2:22 PM
England and Norway are set to face off tomorrow in the Fifa World Cup quarter finals, a crucial match for both teams as today's winner will advance to the semifinals.
Football is often not just about sport, but about the personal side — the laughs, the tears, all the moments that make it humane. Ahead of the match, attention has reverted to the friendship between two players — Norway's Erling Haaland and England's Jude Bellingham.
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The two athletes play for rival national teams, but they once shared the pitch in Borussia Dortmund. Now their friendship has come to the attention of fans once again — with moments between the two gaining traction on social media.
The Champions League handle shared this short, but wholesome, interaction with the simple caption: "Bellingham X Haaland". Watch the clips, here:
An interview from 4 years ago has resurfaced online, in which the two shared cheesy pick-up lines. Looking at Haaland, Bellingham reads one that says "If you were a vegetable, you'd be a cute-cumber". Watch the full video, here:
Borussia Dortmund also shared an edit of the two athletes, reminiscing over their bond ahead of the much-awaited World Cup clash.
Haaland, Bellingham's stellar performance in Fifa World Cup 2026
Erling Haaland has been a central figure in Norway's historic run at the World Cup, scoring two goals to knock out Brazil — a feat he himself could not believe. He helped Norway secure their first ever World-Cup quarterfinals spot.
I never imagined I’d experience something like this. I thought I’d achieved quite a lot in my life but this shows me anything is possible. It’s a strange feeling to realise we’ve knocked Brazil out.”
Erling Haaland
His second goal against Brazil on July 5 was dubbed the goal of the tournament by football fans, with 34 per cent of the vote from Fifa.com users around the globe, putting him ahead of Lionel Messi (25 per cent) in his match against Egypt, and Morocco's Azzedine Ounahi in third (16 per cent) following his match against Canada.
Meanwhile, Jude Bellingham, at 23 years old, is already defining England's game. He took centre stage on July 5 in a match against Mexico, when he scored two goals in the space of just 98 seconds, placing him among some of the greatest performances in the game.
The athlete, who has become the youngest player ever to make ten Fifa World Cup appearances, called it the "best night of [his] England career".
It was a chaotic game but credit to Mexico, they were a different class. We never underestimated them for one minute and they were exactly as good as we thought they would be. But this team showed character tonight and I’m proud.
Jude Bellingham
Take a look at some images throughout the years:
Poojaraj Maniyeri is a Digital Journalist who loves turning everyday conversations into news stories. She is also a typical bookworm, and brings a novel with her everywhere she goes.