When Jude Bellingham and Erling Haaland face each other on Saturday night, fans will be watching for more than just goals. The two footballers, whose long-standing friendship dates back to their Borussia Dortmund days, have produced an archive of memorable clips that have been given a new lease of life during the World Cup – a welcome antidote to toxic masculinity and the darker corners of social media.
Instagram is awash with footage of the pair hugging or celebrating together, and their confidence in front of TV cameras has won them armies of new admirers. In September 2021, after Dortmund's victory over Besiktas, Haaland praised Bellingham as "amazing" – on cue, Bellingham strolled into shot and planted a jokey kiss on his cheek before vanishing. Another clip that has featured prominently shows Haaland rushing in to seemingly protect Bellingham after a rival player pushed him on the pitch.
“Jude Bellingham and Erling Haaland's enduring friendship has captivated fans online and will face a test on Saturday.”
PR expert Mark Borkowski said: "If you go back to the days of the 90s or 00s a lot of brands fell out with footballers because they were so badly behaved. If you look at this generation of footballers they are a different breed and I think it is a lot to do with social media. Jude Bellingham conducts himself like a man twice his age, the wisdom, the level-headed nature and the self-awareness." He added: "Haaland comes from a pretty wholesome family as well. I think with both of them it is the European touch that has made them aware of different cultures and made them who they are."
Dortmund capitalised on the friendship, releasing a YouTube video on Valentine's Day of the two reading cheesy pick-up lines to each other. Haaland read: "I'd like to take you to the movies but they don't let you bring in your own snacks." Bellingham responded: "Is your name Google, because you have all I'm searching for."
So popular is the duo that some fans have invoked the gay ice hockey romance novel "Heated Rivalry", suggesting the players – though both reportedly in relationships with women – have the personal charm and sexual tension to fuel their own football version, enthusiastically dubbed "Cleated Rivalry".
As England and Norway prepare to meet, one question lingers: can either man resist the urge to break into a hug before the final whistle?