Erling Haaland skips Ballon d'Or to watch friend in Swedish title decider
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Manchester City striker Erling Haaland was spotted in Malmo on Oct 28, ahead of his friend's match against IFK Gothenburg.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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STOCKHOLM - Norway striker Erling Haaland may be one of the best players in the world, but he won’t be in the room when the Ballon d’Or is awarded in Paris on Oct 28, preferring instead a trip to Sweden where his friend Erik Botheim can win the league with Malmo FF.
The 24-year-old Manchester City striker was spotted in Malmo early on Oct 28 evening ahead of their game against bitter rivals IFK Gothenburg, where a victory would give them their second straight Allsvenskan title and fourth in five years.
Haaland and Botheim became friends while playing for Norway’s junior national team, and they also featured in a rap video together with Erik Sandberg that has been viewed more than 12 million times on YouTube.
Haaland scored 27 goals in 31 matches as City retained their Premier League title last season.
At the 2023 Ballon d’Or ceremony, he finished as runner-up to Argentina’s Lionel Messi.
Botheim, also a striker, has been named in the starting line-up for Malmo on Oct 28, which kicks off at 1910 CET (2.10am on Oct 29 in Singapore), 50 minutes before the Ballon d’Or gala is set to get under way. REUTERS
