Striker Erling Haaland is undoubtedly one of the greatest footballers in the world. The 23-year-old Norwegian star joined Manchester City in July 2022 after parting his ways with Borussia Dortmund. His entry proved to be really fruitful for the City as they went to win a a historic treble- Premier League, Champions League, and FA Cup. He scored a whopping total of 36 goals in 35 matches during the 2022-23 Premier League campaign. Apart from scoring so many goals, Haaland is also popular for being a fast runner on the field.
Recently, German sprinter Alica Schmidt came up with an interesting challenge for Haaland as she asked him out for a race. Popularly known as 'world's sexiest athlete,' Schmidt stated that competing against Haaland in a 200m race "would be more difficult". It all started, when in 2017, Australian magazine Busted Coverage described Schmidt as "the world's sexiest athlete". There was a rise in her social media social media followers after that, according to Schmidt.
"Hmm, I don't know - maybe. I think, on 400m, yes. On 200m, it would be more difficult. But I would be happy if the race takes place. I don't know, I have to ask him. But I'm always ready. So, Haaland, if you're ready to race, I would be happy. Let's see who's faster," Schmidt said during an interaction with Norwegian outlet Dagbladet.
Schmidt had received the tag of 'world's sexiest athlete' by Busted Coverage, an Australian magazine. On being asked about the tag, Schmidt had said, "I don't know why I got thi title. Sport comes clearly first. There are thousands of girls on Instagram who look good but having many fans does not make you interesting. That's just competitive sport for me."
Earlier on Thursday, Haaland along with his Manchester City teammate Kevin De Bruyne and Lionel Messi, were named as the three finalists for the men's UEFA player of the year award.
The winner of the prize will be revealed on August 31 in Monaco at the Champions League group stage draw ceremony.
Haaland finished as the Champions League's top scorer last season with 12 goals, while De Bruyne -- who had a leading seven assists -- played an integral part in City lifting the trophy for the first time.
(With AFP Inputs)