Haaland: I will support the English national team

Erling Haaland, the Norwegian national team footballer, said he is currently supporting the English team after his own country’s elimination from the World Cup.

British news agency PA Media reported that the Manchester City striker failed to score for the first time in the current tournament in the match played in Miami’s hot conditions, which England won 2-1 after extra time in the quarter-finals.

Haaland was born in Leeds when his father, Alf, was playing for the club, and since many of his Manchester City teammates are in the English national squad, he will cheer them on.

He told journalists on Saturday: “Yes, why not? I have some friends from Manchester City in the England squad,” adding, “Of course, I want them to do well. I got an England shirt before I got a Norway shirt when I was young.”

Haaland’s former Borussia Dortmund teammate, Jude Bellingham, was the star of the match, scoring two goals to turn the game around. Haaland said: “Jude is a good friend. We had two great years together at Borussia Dortmund. We were friends and he’s a great guy. I’m not surprised he scored today and delivered his usual performance.”

He added: “The only thing is that he’s facing heavy criticism for not scoring enough goals. I think that’s undeserved; he’s still scoring goals and dribbling past everyone on the pitch,” and affirmed: “He’s an amazing player and England is lucky because everyone wants a player like him.”