The women dubbed the ‘sexiest athlete in the world’ called out Manchester City star Erling Haaland for a race.
Alica Schmidt, who competed for Germany at the ongoing World Championships in Budapest, thinks she can beat the explosive striker in her favorite 400m event, despite admitting she would struggle over the 200m.
She recently set a personal best in the 400 meters of 52.18 seconds, with an average speed of about 27 km/h.
However, Haaland has previously set a record with speeds of up to 36.5 km/h, even though he runs in shorter bursts than Schmidt.
Mail Sport goes through the tape’s story and compares the two sports stars.
What they said about each other
Schmidt and Haaland have a previous connection after she served as Borussia Dortmund’s fitness coach during the 2020-2021 season.
So while they may know each other from their time at the Bundesliga club, Haaland has not spoken publicly about the 24-year-old.
However, Schmidt has said she would be open to a race between them.
When Norwegian newspaper Dagbladet asked him if she could beat him in a race, the 24-year-old replied: ‘Hmm, I don’t know – maybe. I think, at 400 meters, yes. At 200 meters it would be more difficult. But I would be happy if the race continues.’
She was then asked when the race would take place and replied, “I don’t know, I have to ask him.” But I’m always ready.
Alica Schmidt said she was looking forward to her substitutions against Erling Haaland over 400 meters
Schmidt was a fitness coach at Borussia Dortmund when Haaland scored goals there for fun
Social media followers
If social media following were a race, Haaland would have passed Schmidt seven times.
Haaland has amassed a total of 35.1 million followers on Instagram thanks to his goals for RB Salzburg, Borussia Dortmund and now Man City, among others.
Schmidt, who is also a model, has four million Instagram followers but is quickly gaining traction on the social media website.
Both athletes regularly post on the image-sharing platform, sharing images of them participating in their respective sports, training and showing off their fashion sense.
Schmidt not only competes for her land, but also models her own clothing line for Hugo Boss.
Haaland, meanwhile, is also showing off other parts of his life, revealing during an Instagram post late last season that his favorite video game was Minecraft.
Schmidt was dubbed the “world’s sexiest athlete” and has 4.3 million followers on Instagram
Erling Haaland shows off his fashion sense on social media and in posts about football
Speed
With a team like Manchester City, Haaland doesn’t need to show off his speed too often, but when he does it’s normally in very short bursts.
Throughout his career, however, he has demonstrated an erratic mix of power and speed, enough to instill fear in any defense in world football.
Last season he scored 52 goals, and this season he already has two in two games.
During the 2022-2023 campaign, he recorded a speed of 36.5 km/h
Statistics from the Premier League showed that only seven players in the entire division outperformed him last season, with teammate Kyle Walker being the fastest at 37.1km/hr.
Schmidt, meanwhile, has measured a pace of 27 km/h – although it should be taken into account that she has to pace herself over 400 meters – a far greater distance than Haaland would have covered in one sprint.
She previously beat Borussia Dortmund’s World Cup winning defender Mats Hummels in 2021 – a race she won comfortably.
However, Hummels was 32 and has never shown the speed that Haaland does.
The German sprinter stuck to her preferred 400m but admitted the 200m would be ‘more difficult’ against the Manchester City forward, who was clocked at 35km/h last season.
Schmidt beat Borussia Dortmund defender Mats Hummels in a 400m race two years ago
Career high
Haaland exploded onto the scene during the 2019-20 season, scoring 28 goals in 22 appearances for RB Salzburg before going on to score 86 in 89 appearances for Borussia Dortmund.
Despite winning three trophies in his time at both clubs, his career highlight was undoubtedly last season’s Treble, something his incredible 52 goals in 53 games played a big part in.
He achieved numbers he hadn’t seen before during the Premier League era, and unless he gets injured or moves to another club abroad, he’s likely to enjoy much more success at Man City in the years to come.
Schmidt, on the other hand, has won two European junior medals in the 4x400m relay and was part of the German team that placed seventh in the final of the 4x400m mixed relay at the World Championships.
She unfortunately missed the Tokyo Olympics, but hopes to represent her country in Paris next year.
However, she can also boast of success outside of athletics, as she was named in Forbes’ 30 under 30 last year.
Both also have lucrative deals outside their sport, with Schmidt linked to Hugo Boss and Italian brand Dolce & Gabbana buying Haaland earlier this year.
Haaland (left) was an influential figure in Manchester City’s Treble-winning campaign
Her German team reached the final of the 4x400m mixed relay at the World Championships
In addition to sprinting, the 24-year-old German was featured on Forbes’ 30 under 30 list last year
Diet and workout
Both Schmidt and Haaland have excellent physiques and regularly show them off on social media.
Since missing the Olympics in Japan, Schmidt has improved her technique and physique and has shown off her six-pack in pictures online.
On Instagram, she shows off her grueling workout routines, which include strength training and a number of different exercises, including leg raises, reverse crunches, and cycling.
Schmidt drinks energy drinks and protein shakes and sticks to a healthy diet of chicken, vegetables, brown rice, sushi or salmon salad, and oatmeal.
Haaland, meanwhile, lifted the lid on his Hannibal Lecter-style diet in a documentary called Haaland: The Big Decision.
Haaland previously revealed his unusual heart and liver diet which has taken him by storm in football
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Showing large chunks of heart and liver from his butcher, he said, “You (other people) don’t eat this, but I’m concerned about taking care of my body.”
“I think eating quality food that is as local as possible is the most important thing.
‘The first thing I do in the morning is get some sunlight in my eyes; that is good for the circadian rhythm.
‘I’ve also started filtering my water a bit. I think it can have great benefits for my body.’ The six-foot-tall striker is also a fan of ice baths and glasses that filter blue light to improve his sleep, in addition to his 6,000-calorie-a-day diet.
Pronunciation
It would be a challenging task for them to race over the 400 metres, but based on experience alone, the lead should go to Schmidt.
Haaland, while undeniably having a higher top speed, could burn himself out too quickly unless he could manage his race pace over the 400 metres.
However, the 6-foot-7 Norwegian compared to 6-foot-7 Schmidt would have both the stride advantage and the strength advantage – as he is 70 lb (32 kg) heavier than the 400-meter runner.
Schmidt would be right to doubt her chances in the 200m. Haaland could be too far out before she has a chance to get back at the Norwegian.
But it would be a fascinating race to watch – although the biggest chance of that would probably have happened when they were together at Borussia Dortmund.
Schmidt would have the experience advantage and could beat Haaland over her favored 400m distance if the Norwegian striker failed to keep up with his pace despite his electric speed