Erling Haaland and Marco Rose heap praise on “extraordinary” Jude Bellingham

Erling Haaland and Marco Rose both praised Jude Bellingham following his excellent performance in Borussia Dortmund’s 2-1 win over Besiktas JK on Wednesday. 

Jude Bellingham showed his incredible quality once again on Wednesday evening as he led Borussia Dortmund to an impressive win in their UEFA Champions League opener away to Besiktas JK. The midfielder opened the scoring with a fine finish from a tight angle in the 20th minute. And he followed that up by dribbling past two defenders before setting up Erling Haaland for Dortmund’s second goal on the stroke of half time.

Borussia Dortmund head coach Marco Rose praised Jude Bellingham’s mentality and willingness to work for the team after the game.

"“Jude is just a great guy. His mentality, the willingness to work for the team, the intensity with which he plays football, the will to win and of course the solutions he finds on the football pitch. The way he assisted Erling’s goal and scored the first himself is extraordinary. We are really happy to have him with us.”"

Rose wasn’t alone in praising Bellingham. Erling Haaland also hailed the midfielder after the game.

"“He’s amazing,” Haaland said. “He’s only 18, three years younger than me… It’s crazy! What can I say, he’s amazing.”"

Bellingham, who was voted man of the match for his performance, spoke about how much he enjoys winning games with Borussia Dortmund. He added that they must now continue to perform like this in the coming weeks.

"“The most important thing is that we won the game,” Bellingham told UEFA. “It went back and forth, a bit like basketball. We are very happy with the first few games. It’s so much fun to win football matches with Borussia Dortmund. We have to continue like this.”"

Bellingham’s goal against Besiktas saw him become the youngest player to ever score in consecutive Champions League matches. The 18 year old broke the record set by Paris St. Germain forward Kylian Mbappe. Bellingham now has two goals and three assists to his name in seven appearances so far this season.

Next up for Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League is a home game against Sporting CP. A win against the Portuguese champions in two weeks’ time would put the Black and Yellows in a very strong position in Group C.