Borussia Dortmund's teen sensation Erling Haaland has the world at his feet, but he was still over the moon to receive a signed jersey from a striker who had one good season at Swansea City almost a decade ago ...
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Jump to: Inter Miami unveil new "heron white" home kit | Player uses spare ball to tackle opponent | Brazilian star finds lost wallet at Rio carnival thanks to social media plea
He may already be well on the way to hero status himself, but Haaland recently received a very special gift from one of his own footballing idols.
The Dortmund prodigy was sent a shirt signed by former Swansea striker Michu, who Haaland used to idolise as a boy.
Michu burst on to the scene in the 2012-13 season, scoring 22 goals in his first year in English football as he helped Swansea win the League Cup.
The Spaniard's scoring streak -- which included four goals in his first three Premier League games and strikes against Manchester United, Chelsea, Tottenham and most memorably his brace in a 2-0 win at Arsenal -- obviously made a big impression on the young Haaland. The Norwegian would tag Michu on Instagram posts while he was growing up, such as this one from 2016.
Now the baton has now been formally passed on, with Michu -- who is now sporting director at Spanish third-tier side Burgos -- sending a signed shirt to Haaland as a token of his respect.
Wow what a legend!! #Nice2Michu https://t.co/Ryn0vEk4tf
— Erling Haaland (@ErlingHaaland) February 24, 2020
Haaland thanked his hero for the gift, referring to Michu as a "legend" on Twitter. Michu then returned the compliment by lauding the 19-year-old striker in an interview with Onda Cero radio.
"It's an honour. I think he [Haaland] is going to be a world-class player," Michu said. "He's a much better player than me!
"At Swansea I had one really good season... but the way he's exploded into European football, I don't remember anything like that -- maybe [Kylian] Mbappe. He's breaking every record and he's only 19 years old."
Sadly, Michu never hit the heights of his first year in the Premier League again, and he retired as a player in 2017 at the age of just 31 after returning from a two-year professional hiatus for one final season at hometown club Real Oviedo. However, he is certain that the same fate will not befall Haaland.
"He has a great future," he added. "Dortmund paid €20 million for him, it was really cheap. He's a young boy, he's got his entire future in front of him, I don't think he'll be in a hurry ... He's taking the right steps. He has to stay calm.
"Germany is a good league for him. Dortmund are a great team, but I think we'll see him at one of Europe's top five clubs."
- Zen-sational stats! Haaland has more UCL goals than Barca
- ESPN+ gets Bundesliga rights starting in 2020
Inter Miami unveil new 'heron white' home kit
Tu club. Tu camiseta.
— Inter Miami CF (@InterMiamiCF) February 24, 2020
La camiseta de local de #InterMiamiCF, disponible ya.
👕 https://t.co/XnZzZuFVND pic.twitter.com/AytqYYS8Xk
With their inaugural Major League Soccer match imminent, Inter Miami have unveiled their first-ever home kit.
With David Beckham at the helm, the team are gearing up for their maiden season with a clean-cut new strip that is predominantly white with flashes of pink trim.
Officially, the colour is "heron white," which is supposedly a shade directly inspired by the wings of the very bird that proudly perches on Miami's club crest -- a bird that represents "freedom and strength." The pink accents are said to reflect the "vibrant soul of South Florida."
The new Miami kit will be worn for the first time competitively when the team make their historic home MLS debut on March 14 against Beckham's former club, LA Galaxy (5:30 p.m. ET, LIVE on ESPN in the U.S.).
- Ranking MLS' new-for-2020 shirts
Player uses spare ball to tackle opponent
A brand-new style of tackling is being pioneered in the North Macedonian league that could revolutionise the art of defending as we know it.
History will remember that it was last weekend's First League game between Makedonija Gjorce Petrov and Akademija Pandev that witnessed the birth of the "ball-to-ball tackle," which proved incredibly effective.
As the winger broke down the flank, the defender utilised the spare ball he was carrying to confuse the attacker and break up the attack almost instantly -- the only slight hitch being that he was shown a red card for bad sportsmanship as a result.
The game went on to feature 10 minutes of stoppage time, during which Makedonija Gjorce Petrov scored the winning goal via a 99th-minute penalty.
Just another entirely normal day in the North Macedonian First League.
Brazilian star finds lost wallet at Rio carnival thanks to social media plea
Flamengo midfielder Gerson showed the benefits of having a large social media following on Monday after losing his wallet at a carnival street party in southern Rio de Janeiro.
Realising his belongings had been misplaced, the 22-year-old posted a message on Twitter to ask his followers if anybody had seen it.
"Hey guys. Yesterday I lost my wallet and all my documents at Marina da Gloria. Anyone who can share and help me find it, thank you very much," Gerson tweeted.
Thankfully, just a few hours of scouring the pavements of Rio later, the Flamengo player was able to offer a positive update when he announced that he'd been successfully reunited with his wallet after it was found by a local policeman.
"I thank everyone who shared the message. I already found the wallet with my documents," he wrote. "Thanks to the municipal guard Gustavo Marcos Fontes Barbosa and his friend Gabriel for having found, saved and made contact with me to deliver it."
Lovely stuff. Proof positive that everyone on social media is really nice and always happy to help.