Why Gibraltar players blanked Borussia striker Haaland after Norway defeat | OneFootball

Gibraltar players blanked Borussia striker Erling Haaland after their World Cup qualifier against Norway this month.

Haaland scored a hat-trick as Norway trounced Gibraltar 5-1 in Oslo on September 7, but the visitors deliberately ignored him after the final whistle.

In normal circumstances, the shirt of one of the hottest properties in world football would be a highly-coveted memento, but Gibraltar striker Reece Styche revealed his teammates wanted to send a message to the Norwegian, after he had refused to swap shirts with their captain in March.

"None of us wanted Haaland's shirt, so we snubbed him," Styche, who plays for Hednesford Town, told The Sun.

"Last March, our skipper Roy Chipolina asked for Haaland's shirt when we met in Gibraltar.

"Norway won 3-0 but Haaland never scored, was substituted after an hour and was in a bit of a mood.

"After they'd both done TV interviews, Roy said to him: 'My little boy's a massive fan of yours, do you mind swapping jerseys?'

"Haaland just looked at him, laughed and walked off! He can buy a lot of things - but he can't buy class - perhaps the media hype has gone to his head."