Haaland skips Ballon d’Or, travels to Sweden to watch friend clinch domestic league title

AP , Tuesday 29 Oct 2024

Erling Haaland skipped the Ballon d’Or gala in Paris on Monday to watch a friend clinch the Swedish league title with Malmö instead.

Haaland
Manchester City's Norwegian forward Erling Haaland (L) sits next to his father Alf-Inge Haaland (R) in the stands during the Allsvenskan football match between Malmo FF and IFK Gothenburg at the Eleda Stadium in Malmo, on October 28, 2024. AFP

The Manchester City striker, who was nominated for the Ballon d’Or but was not considered among the favorites, was seen in the stands in Malmö as the defending Swedish champion beat IFK Göteborg 2-1 to secure the title with two rounds remaining.

He posted a picture on Instagram of himself wearing a Malmö jersey, which has the same light blue color as City’s shirt.

Haaland’s Norwegian friend Erik Botheim plays for Malmo as a forward.

Malmo, which is eight points clear of Hammarby in the league table, has won the Swedish title a record 24 times.

Because of the long winter, the Swedish league starts in the spring and ends in the fall unlike most of the European leagues.

(For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.)

Short link: