Erling Haaland has said the only thing that surprises him about the "unbelievable" Jude Bellingham is the amount of criticism he receives -- insisting the England midfielder is "one of the best in the world."
Bellingham inspired England to a gripping 2-1 World Cup quarterfinal win over Norway, via extra time, on Saturday with two goals, taking his tally to six in North America.
His incredible World Cup comes after talk heading into the tournament about his place in the team, something Norway striker Haaland -- and Bellingham's former teammate at Borussia Dortmund -- doesn't understand.
"I'm not surprised that he scores two goals today and performs the way he does," Haaland said.
"The only thing is that sometimes I think he gets a bit too much of a critic because he doesn't score enough goals or whatever it is.
"I think he doesn't really deserve it because he's one of the best in the world. He's a midfielder, he still scores goals, he still manages to dribble every single player on the field.
"It's just praise for Jude. I think he's unbelievable. England is lucky, Madrid is lucky because everybody would want a Jude in the team."
Haaland came into the game against Norway with seven goals in six games, but was kept quiet by England's backline on Saturday.
Norway were, however, denied a goal that would have seen them go 2-1 up in the second half, with Haaland adjudged to have pushed Elliot Anderson before a corner was taken.
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"Normally, the best team, which is of course England in terms of the players and this, normally you get these decisions with you," he said. "When I'm in Man City, normally it goes my way."
Haaland added that he bears no grudges, and even hopes England continue to shine. The Manchester City striker was born in Leeds.
"Of course I want England to do well. I think I got an England jersey before I got a Norway jersey when I was young," he said. "Of course I want England to do well because it's a nice country and it's a nice T-shirt."
England will play Argentina in the semifinals, on Wednesday in Atlanta.