Erling Haaland labelled a 'burden' by same man angrily confronted by Jude Bellingham's dad

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Borussia Dortmund director Sebastian Kehl is back in the headlines after clashing with Jude Bellingham's dad. And it's not the first time he's rocked the boat at his own club after previously dubbing Erling Haaland "a burden."

Haaland , 25, spent two seasons at the Westfalenstadion, where he scored a ridiculous total of 86 goals in only 89 appearances. It wasn't an entirely harmonious spell, however, after Kehl suggested that the pressure of housing such a generational star affected the club adversely in some respects.

It's quite the opposite concern these days for Mark Bellingham, whose eldest son, Jude, already breezed through North Rhine-Westphalia. That's after he took umbrage with how his younger sibling, Jobe, has been treated by manager Niko Kovac.

Jobe was hooked at half-time in Dortmund 's season-opening game against St. Pauli, much to the chagrin of his father. So much so that the retired police officer reportedly waited in the tunnel to confront Kovac after the game.

The younger Bellingham brother arrived at the club to much fanfare this summer after joining from Sunderland in a £28million deal . However, the midfielder has failed to take off like many anticipated, losing his place in the Dortmund XI and playing just 71 minutes across their last four league games.

England legend Sir Geoff Hurst was unimpressed by Mark's response to the matter and labelled his actions an "absolute disgrace." And it certainly doesn't appear to have helped his son's situation after being largely shelved by Kovac of late.

His situation contrasts wildly against the example set by Haaland, who enjoyed a meteoric phase of development in Germany. Not that it saved him from the scorn of Kehl, who was brutally honest about Haaland's tenure after he left to join Manchester City in 2022.

"In the end, the Haaland issue became a burden in the locker room," he told Sport Bild after the 2022 summer transfer window closed. "As much as we always loved Haaland and he was successful with us, in the end, he became a burden on the dressing room, the club and the whole environment.

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"He had become the subject of every conversation. Outside the club, almost everything was exclusively focused on him. In the end, the timing of the transfer was right for both parties. And we are all happy for Erling that he continues to be so successful."

Kehl did go on to clarify "Erling is a really good guy" and that Dortmund "would like to have him still with us." However, it was the first piece of evidence that the blessing that is Haaland's on-field quality came with its drawbacks.

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There was a similar storyline relating to Jude Bellingham after his time at Signal Iduna Park came to its end. The England talisman left to join Real Madrid in 2023, after which reports emerged that certain Dortmund team-mates were "glad to see the back of him" due to allegedly arrogant habits.

Haaland and the case of the Bellinghams illustrates the point that things aren't always greener on the other side. Or in these cases, it's not always straightforward managing some of the biggest talents in world football.

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