Erling Haaland Skips Ballon d'Or for Malmö Match

Erling Haaland, the Manchester City striker, chose to miss the 2023 Ballon d'Or ceremony in Paris to support his friend Erik Botheim in Malmö, Sweden, where Botheim's team secured the Swedish league title. Haaland, who finished as a runner-up to Lionel Messi for the Ballon d'Or, was seen wearing a Malmö jersey, which mirrors the colors of his club, Manchester City. The two players share a long-standing friendship from their time on Norway's junior national team and have collaborated on a rap video. Malmö FF clinched the title with a 2-1 victory against IFK Gothenburg, marking their 24th Swedish league championship. Meanwhile, Haaland's Manchester City teammate Rodri won the Ballon d'Or, becoming the third player outside of Messi and Ronaldo to win since 2007.