Brazil face Norway in the World Cup last 16 on Sunday, and one of football’s most compelling personal rivalries takes centre stage at New York New Jersey Stadium.
Manchester City striker Erling Haaland and Arsenal defender Gabriel have been at the heart of a bitter feud throughout the Premier League’s most fiercely contested seasons in recent memory.
Their meeting on the world stage adds an extraordinary subplot to a knockout tie that will determine who advances to the quarter-finals to meet either England or Mexico.
Former England striker Chris Sutton told BBC Sport: “For all the battling for the Golden Boot between the greats such as Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, Harry Kane and Haaland, there have not been any great personal duels. Now we have one.”
Sutton added: “This is the standout personal duel of the World Cup so far and make no mistake, it will have a huge bearing on the outcome of the game.”
Former England captain Alan Shearer is equally enthused, saying: “That will be a great battle because there is definitely a bit of niggle there.”
Shearer continued: “They don’t like each other which is fine, you don’t have to like your opponent, and we have seen them have clashes before so that’s definitely one to look forward to.”
The origins of the feud trace back to September 2024, when Manchester City’s John Stones scored a dramatic 98th-minute equaliser to rescue a 2-2 draw at the Etihad Stadium against a ten-man Arsenal side.
In the chaotic aftermath, Haaland retrieved the ball from the net and threw it with great force at the back of Gabriel’s head, an act the Brazilian has never forgotten.
Following the final whistle, Haaland’s infamous “stay humble” remark, directed twice at Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, added further fuel to an already burning fire.
Haaland later said: “What happens on the football pitch stays there. That’s just how it is. It’s a battle, a war, so it’s normal to have provocative acts in football. It’s part of the game.”
Arsenal delivered a thunderous response in February 2025, thrashing Manchester City 5-1, with Gabriel bellowing in Haaland’s face after scoring in a moment of calculated revenge.
Gabriel admitted: “I did it because he threw the ball at my head, to provoke him the way he provoked me. The moment we scored, he was right next to me, so I went straight to shouting in his ear.”
The feud escalated further in April when Haaland celebrated a 2-1 winner against Arsenal by singing lyrics from Flo Rida’s “Good Feeling” into a television camera, smiling triumphantly after the final whistle.
Gabriel was lucky to avoid a red card in that match after aiming a headbutt at Haaland, with referee Anthony Taylor showing both players a yellow card instead.
Arsenal had the last laugh when they clinched their first top-flight title in 24 years in May, with Gabriel posting a picture holding the Premier League trophy while using the same Flo Rida song as its soundtrack.
Haaland heads into Sunday’s clash with five World Cup goals, level with England captain Kane and one behind France’s Mbappe, as Argentina’s Messi leads the scoring charts on seven.
In head-to-head club meetings, Haaland holds the upper hand, scoring six goals across the eleven games in which the two players have faced each other directly.
Brazil have an unusual statistical quirk working against them, having never beaten Norway in four previous meetings, drawing two and losing two, making Norway the only side the Selecao have never defeated.
Sutton said: “I am absolutely convinced there will be a flashpoint or two, I really am, just because of the physical nature of both players.”
He added that what happens between the pair could ultimately decide which nation progresses, while also backing Brazil’s Carlo Ancelotti as a manager who always finds a way to win the big occasions.
Sutton praised Norway’s threat too, singling out Martin Odegaard’s creative quality and concluding: “I think they are more than capable of beating Brazil. I think it will be close — and what happens between Haaland and Gabriel could decide it.”
