Erling Haaland, Manchester City striker, swapped his boots for a green wig and a purple suit to become the Joker this Halloween.
Camera in hand, he went into a petrol station and a shop in Manchester to look for nappies, while locals and customers tried to work out who was hiding beneath the makeup. “Are you the one from City?”, a man asked him amid laughter and nerves. Another, recognising him, shouted: “Oh my God, you’re a legend!”. Neither the face paint nor the unsettling smile could hide his 1.94-metre height.
The prank was recorded for the player’s own YouTube channel, and he ended the night by returning home with his partner, Isabel Haugseng Johansen, and their young son. “It’s been great, guys. Now it’s time to go to the party”, he said amid laughter, making it clear that even Gotham’s most feared villain can have a tender dad side.