Jude Bellingham and Erling Haaland: How their formative Borussia Dortmund years paved the way for superstardom
Having shared two formative years together at Borussia Dortmund, Erling Haaland and Jude Bellingham will have to put their friendship to one side as Norway and England battle it out for a spot in the FIFA World Cup 2026 semi-finals this weekend.
They’ll line up at opposite ends for the World Cup quarter-final clash between Norway and England as global superstars - having shared part of their paths to the top at BVB.
Bellingham joined Dortmund in the summer of 2020 at the age of 17, and although he already had a glowing reputation by that point, he was unproven at the highest level, having only ever played in the English Championship with boyhood club Birmingham City.
Watch: Bellingham and Haaland combine
At the time of Bellingham’s arrival, striking sensation Haaland had been at the club for six months following his arrival from RB Salzburg at the start of that year.
Half a year into his time at Signal Iduna Park and the talismanic Norwegian was beginning to look like the real deal, having recorded 13 goals in his first 15 Bundesliga games, as well as notching two in two in the UEFA Champions League and one in one in the DFB Cup.
It was still early days, however., as the then-19-year-old had only made his senior Norway debut in September of the previous year.
So while both Bellingham and Haaland appeared destined for the top, there was still a long way to go when they arrived in Germany.
Watch: Haaland's Bundesliga best bits
That soon changed in 2020/21, the season that marked their first full campaigns at BVB, and the start of a formidable duo.
Bellingham made 29 Bundesliga appearances and 46 in all competitions, while Haaland was close behind with 41 outings, in which he netted an astonishing 41 goals.
By the end of that campaign, not only had both teenagers amassed considerable experience in the Champions League, they were also both regulars for their respective senior national teams.
And to cap it all off they enjoyed a taste of success with Dortmund's DFB Cup final triumph against RB Leipzig.
Following another goal-laden season in 2021/22, in which Haaland scored 29 times in 30 games before departing for the Premier League and Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, his on-field partnership with Bellingham came to an end.
“He’s a good friend of mine, we had some good years together,” said the England midfielder of Haaland’s departure.
Bellingham left the Bundesliga a year later in summer 2023, heading to Real Madrid. While his friend Haaland wasn’t there to say his goodbyes, he still kept tab's on his former team-mate's life in Spain: “I’ve been following Jude’s incredible start at Real Madrid. I’m very happy for him”.
Watch: More Bellingham/Haaland link-ups
They made not only an impression on each other and BVB fans, but also on the coaches that oversaw their development.
“He's a very positive guy who infects everyone with his energy,” said former Dortmund boss Edin Terzić on Haaland, while Lucien Favre praised his incredible work ethic: “He always wants to improve. That’s one of his greatest qualities.”
Terzić, now at Athletic Bilbao, was equally full of praise for Bellingham: “Jude has an incredible mentality, he always wants to win.”
So having arrived at Dortmund as youthful hopefuls, they each left to join one of the world's elite clubs as fully fledged senior internationals.
With 107 combined caps for their countries and each with a Champions League winners medal at home, these two sensations will share a pitch once more as they go head-to-head for a place in the World Cup semi-finals.
Having both scored twice in their respective round-of-16 ties to get their teams here, who will come out on top on Saturday 11 July?
