Haaland skips Ballon d'Or to watch friend in Swedish title decider

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 Monday, 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 Monday 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 Monday, which kicks off at 1910 CET (1810 GMT), 50 minutes before the Ballon d'Or gala is set to get underway.