By Belize Live News Staff: England have a Haaland problem, and one travel company has come up with a creative, if not entirely serious, solution: bribe him with a lifetime of free vacations.
As reported by the Daily Star, UK firm On the Beach has publicly offered the Norway striker ten free holidays a year for life, covering him, his family, and his friends, across more than 280 destinations worldwide. The offer, worth millions, comes with a single mischievous condition. Haaland must take his first trip this Saturday, when Norway meet England in their World Cup quarter-final in Miami, and the destination can be anywhere on Earth except Miami.
The stunt is a playful admission of just how frightening Haaland has become. The goal machine has plundered seven goals at the tournament, sharing top spot in the golden boot race with Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé, while England’s Harry Kane trails on six. As the firm’s bosses put it, the only way to stop him scoring may be with a “sun lounger, passport and free holidays to anywhere in the world for life.”
Norway arrive in the last eight off the back of a famous scalp, having dumped out mighty Brazil with a stunning 2-1 victory, a result Belizean fans watched unfold in disbelief as Haaland’s side struck late to sink the five-time champions.
On the Beach holiday expert Caspar Nelson delivered the pitch with tongue firmly in cheek. He told the Daily Star that Haaland “has worked incredibly hard this summer” and “looks like he deserves a break,” before revealing the one small catch about Saturday’s timing. His suggested getaway? Mauritius, which he helpfully pointed out sits on the complete opposite side of the world from the quarter-final.
To sweeten the deal, the company says the striker has until 8:00 p.m. Saturday, before team sheets drop, to accept, and merely has to walk into their head office in Manchester, his home city, to sign the paperwork.
Nobody, least of all the folks at On the Beach, truly expects Haaland to swap a shot at World Cup glory for a beach chair. But as far as publicity stunts go, it is a brilliant bit of fun, and a telling sign of the panic one man can cause an entire footballing nation.
What do you say, Belize? Could ten holidays a year for life tempt you away from a World Cup quarter-final? And who takes Saturday’s clash? Let us know in the comments.
