Football superstar Erling Haaland has held a video call with a freed hostage, offering him some much needed support in his recovery.
Sport-mad Omer Shem Tov, who endured 505 days of Hamas captivity after being abducted from the Nova music festival, posted a clip of the virtual meeting with his hero on Wednesday.
During the call Haaland asked the 22-year-old how he was doing and praised his resilience. Giddy with excitement, Shem Tov replied: “I really appreciate what you’re doing and I really like you, you’re amazing, I’m so excited to be speaking to you.”
He has also received messages of support from football legends Christiano Ronaldo and Rivaldo.
Haaland, one of the most popular players in the modern game with over 40 million social media followers, has been reticent to issue public statements with regard to the Israel-Palestine conflict.
He has struck a stark contrast with many of his teammates in the Norwegian national team, whose government have been fiercely critical of Israel’s actions in Gaza.
Ahead of a match with the Israeli team last month, several Norwegian players indicated that they felt the Jewish State should be barred from competing.
Speaking before the 4-2 victory, Arsenal and Norway captain Martin Odegaard called on UEFA, the sport’s governing body in Europe, to eject Israel from its international tournaments.
He said: “This is a background you can’t ignore. It’s terrible for everyone.
"But we have to deal with the fact that UEFA decided the match would go ahead.”
Asked about the topic at the time, Haaland himself adopted a more neutral tone, saying: “I don’t think I, as a footballer, should talk about it. There are others who should decide what to do and where they stand. Maybe ask someone else.”
And Israel’s captain Eli Dasa hit back at Odegaard’s comments, wondering aloud “if those criticising us in Norway can even find Gaza on a map,” adding: “We have hostages there starving under horrific conditions.”
