The heartfelt hug came at Miami Stadium, moments after the brutal quarterfinal loss. Their famous friendship clearly survived the high-stakes clash intact.
The warmth actually started long before the final whistle. Bellingham revealed he playfully kicked Haaland in the tunnel before kickoff. He called it their old "signature formula" greeting from their Borussia Dortmund days. The pair were even spotted laughing together while waiting for a free-kick.
Their bond traces back to two seasons together in Germany.
From 2020 to 2022 at Dortmund, they made headlines for public cheek kisses, playful Valentine's Day pick-up lines, Haaland playing Bellingham's on-pitch "bodyguard." Even in this tense extra-time battle, footage caught quick touches between them.
Bellingham summed up the whole friendly dynamic beautifully afterward. "Once the whistle goes, everything changes," he told reporters at full time. He stressed firmly that there are "no favors on the pitch" between the two close friends. "After the game, we're friends again. That's football," he added simply