Football fans declare Swedish striker the new 'world's sexiest footballer', taking over from Alisha Lehmann, as she signs for Serie A club
Swedish striker Alice Sondergaard completed her move to Genoa earlier this month and posed for a series of striking photos posted on the club's Instagram page.
Sondergaard has already made waves at the top level, having received her first call-up for her country at the tender age of 15. She will now look to keep Genoa in the Italian top-flight after they were promoted to the division for the very first time.
Blessed with an eye for goal, Sondergaard was crucial to Bologna's superb campaign last time out, a club which fought Genoa for a spot in the top-flight until the bitter end.
She previously played for Verona, also in Italy, and scored plenty of goals in Serie B.
But her latest high-profile move has seen her thrust into the spotlight again and supporters were quick to focus on her beauty, even placing her on a pedestal above glamorous Juventus and Switzerland superstar Alisha Lehmann.
Supporters flocked to declare Alice Sondergaard as the world's newest 'sexiest footballer'
Sondergaard completed her move to Genoa in Serie A and posed for a series of photos
Social media users left a series of cheeky comments under the post announcing her arrival
Sondergaard may have taken the accolade from Juventus and Switzerland's Alisha Lehmann
'It's official, the most beautiful footballer alive,' said one Instagram user.
Another cheekily added: 'Always been a fan of Genoa.'
A third then said: 'They got me on the women's team this year.'
Meanwhile, a fourth posted: 'Subscription right away.'
Until seemingly being dethroned by Swedish sensation Sondergaard, Lehmann had been dubbed the world's sexiest footballer.
Lehmann, who used to date Aston Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz, is Switzerland's most famous player, boasting 16.7million followers on Instagram and 12m on TikTok.
The duo first began dating back in 2021, before they broke up a year later and rekindled at the start of 2024. However, they reportedly then split again.
She was given her own bodyguard at the Women's Euros this summer due to her significant popularity. Lehmann is often the target for autographs or selfies.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
22 minutes ago
- The Independent
The new law change that will make football ‘much quicker'
A new football law change will make the game a lot quicker, a referee chief has said. A significant new rule was seen during the Euro 2025 final between England and Spain during the penalty shootout. Beth Mead slipped when she took her penalty, causing her to touch the ball twice before the ball hit the back of the net. This is not allowed. Previously, the goal would have been chalked off. But thanks to the new law, it meant she was allowed to retake her penalty kick. If a double-touch happens during a game and a player misses or has the penalty saved, a free-kick will be awarded to the defending team. But it is another law that is being hailed as a positive for the game. Referees can now give corners to the opposition if goalkeepers take more than eight seconds to release the ball from their hands. A previous six-second rule was hardly ever enforced, with refs seemingly reluctant to order indirect free-kicks for the infringement. But a leading referee chief expects this summer's major law change to speed up games without referees having to intervene much, if at all. On the worldwide rule change, Scottish Football Association head of referees Willie Collum said: 'We think it will make the game much quicker because the goalkeepers now are under pressure to release a ball. 'We'll have prepared our referees tactically for that as well, forgetting just about the decision-making, the eight seconds and punishing it. We also know there will be a lot of shorter balls at times in and around the penalty area. We need our referees to be well prepared for that. 'But, it's like any rule change, the clubs are aware of it. We've spoken to a lot of goalkeeper coaches who are saying they've already been coaching it, working at it. So, we don't think we'll see a great amount of issues with that.' Referees will start the count when the goalkeeper is in full control of the ball and is unobstructed by opponents, and will visibly count the last five seconds. If any opposition player pressures or obstructs the goalkeeper, an indirect free-kick will be awarded. Collum added: 'We know that in the League Cup so far, we've not encountered any issues with it at all. It's not been punished once. So we'd hope that would continue throughout the season. We'll be proactive as well in working with the goalkeepers with that.' Another law to come in this summer involves referees: if touch the ball, they will hand a drop ball to the team who would have received it, rather than only resuming the game with possession to the last team that played the ball.
The Independent
22 minutes ago
- The Independent
A small Serbian town is home to Robin Hood — in a new TV series
Villages and castles from 12th-century England came to life in a small town in Serbia for the filming of a new series about Robin Hood that has just wrapped in the landlocked country in southeast Europe. The 10-episode take on England's beloved medieval outlaw who, in lore, stole from the rich to give to the poor, comes from Lionsgate Television, and is expected to premiere on MGM+ in the U.S. and parts of Europe later this year. The Associated Press recently visited the set in Simanovci, the village which is home to a film studio and not far from the capital of Belgrade. Thorough research for the series was visible in the scenography and costumes, taking the cast — and the studio — back in time to the stony interiors of a candlelit castle, complete with stained-glass lancet windows. The 'sweeping, romantic adventure' offers a historically grounded look into how Robin Hood grew up to become an outlaw-turned-hero in the wake of the Norman conquest of England, the producers say. 'We actually show the beginning of Robin Hood,' producer, director and writer Jonathan English, who was a main driving force behind the project, said in an interview. 'We start the story with him as a child.' Self-described as a 'huge fan of all things medieval,' English marveled at Robin Hood's persistent global appeal. 'You can stop a pensioner on the streets of Belgrade and he knows who Robin Hood is. You can stop a teenager on the streets of Beijing, and they know who Robin Hood is,' he said. Asked whether the story is still relevant, following countless cinematic and small-screen adaptations, English insisted that 'it is incredibly relevant, probably more today than ... 50 years ago or 100 years ago, even.' 'It's a story about class and the absolute tyranny of class, people who believe that they can have everything and control everything and can own everything and everybody else could just, you know, get lost,' he said. 'There's always been wealthy people, but now you have uber-rich people. And the divide between the uber-rich and the rest of the world is extraordinary now.' The show's plot centers strongly on the romance between Robin and Marian. He is a Saxon forester's son and Marian is the daughter of a Norman lord but they overcome the divide to jointly fight for freedom and against injustice. Australian actor Jack Patten plays Robin, joined by Lauren McQueen as Marian. The two appear alongside Sean Bean as the notorious Sheriff of Nottingham, and Connie Nielsen, who plays Eleanor of Aquitaine, the queen of England and wife of Henry II. Patten admitted he was nervous ahead of his 'third gig since getting out of drama school.' His Robin is 'any young 24-year-old ... trying to find his place in the world' and who 'gets dealt some pretty tricky cards.' McQueen said Marian's character will be 'quite empowering' for young women watching the series. Filmed in multiple locations in Serbia and with hundreds of staff and crew, the series is 'huge' even by Hollywood standards, showrunner and writer John Glenn said. He described the new show as 'much more Peaky Blinders in tone' than previous incarnations, referring to the hit U.K. TV series about gangsters in 1920s Birmingham. Both Glenn and English said they chose Serbia because of high-standard facilities and crews but also because of the natural scenery that could mimic a medieval English landscape. 'It's hard to find ancient forests now in England,' English said. 'There's not a lot of undeveloped wilderness."
BBC News
23 minutes ago
- BBC News
Joao Felix: Chelsea forward set to join Al-Nassr - so what next?
The next chapter in one of football's most confusing careers is nearly upon us - and with it comes the feeling that the potential he once had will never be Felix, who is set to join Al-Nassr from Chelsea, remains the third most expensive transfer ever - in terms of initial fee - having cost Atletico Madrid £113m from Benfica at the age of 19 in Portugal forward has since gone on to play for European giants Barcelona, AC Milan and Chelsea - yet, since leaving home, has never scored more than 10 goals in a aged 25, he is off to Saudi Arabia. As Lisbon-based journalist Marcus Alves, external puts it: "The feeling back home is that Felix has officially given up on being a truly top-level international player."So what happened?"It doesn't seem there is any turning point for him," said Spanish football journalist Guillem Balague. "It drives coaches mad. They see the potential but he'll never fulfil it. It's a mental thing. It's not that he's not bothered - but he's not listening." 'Pure art' - the start at Benfica Having come through the Benfica academy, Felix became the youngest player in Benfica B history when he made his debut in Portugal's second tier aged went on to make his first-team debut in August 2018 - and, put quite simply, he was brilliant, especially in the second half of the netted in the Lisbon derby against Sporting just a week after his introduction and became the youngest player to score a Europa League hat-trick in their quarter-final tie with Eintracht ended the season with 20 goals in 43 games across all competitions, 15 of those coming in 26 league won the title and Felix was named young player of the year, named in the Portuguese league team of the season - and later that year won the Golden Boy award for the best player in Europe aged under 21."Those six months of him playing at Estadio da Luz regularly were by far the best I've witnessed from a player in almost a decade in Portugal," said journalist Alves."It was pure art, a joy to watch. He seemed destined for the top."Back in mid-2019, when Cristiano Ronaldo arrived at the Portugal camp for the Nations League finals, I remember seeing a headline on TV that said 'Ronaldo joins Felix'. Felix, not the team."That was no joke - it was just how highly rated Felix was at that time."Then Atletico Madrid came calling to complete one of the biggest transfers in history. Awards at Atletico - but not enough to justify the fee The four most expensive transfers to this day, sorted by British pounds and not euros, were all made between 2017 and top two were Paris St-Germain's signings of Neymar and Kylian three is Atletico Madrid's £113m move for Felix to replace Antoine Griezmann, who they sold to Barcelona for £107.7m in the fourth biggest he would link up with Atletico's Argentine boss Diego Simeone, who is legendary for how hard he makes his teams work."We should have seen what was coming," said Balague. "On one occasion earlier on in his time at Atletico, Simeone got really mad at him during a game, asked him to do certain things and you could see how Joao Felix was ignoring him."He basically ended up doing nothing like the stuff Simeone was asking him to do. From then on he started to come in and out of the side and we started to hear stories about his lack of defensive commitment. But I think it goes deeper."There were good times at Atletico, too, but not enough of them to justify that three and a half seasons in (and out) of the Atletico team he scored 35 goals, as well as 16 assists, in 131 games. In 2020-21 he was part of the Atleti squad who won their second La Liga title under Simeone. But he only started 14 league games that season - and netted just three goals after Christmas in any competition. The following campaign was worse for the team but better individually, as Atletico finished third but he was named the club's player of the season, with 10 goals in all competitions coming before a season-ending injury in April."After two and a half years of flattering to deceive, Joao Felix is finally starting to look capable of becoming one of the best players in the world," a BBC article at the time opened it was a false dawn."The cost to Atletico suggests there was a raw talent," said Balague."I think he's the last generation of players as kids who were told how brilliant they were, that do not appreciate the other side of it that you need – which is to work without the ball. Even with the ball he's not consistent enough."Halfway through the next season, Felix wanted out."He is the biggest bet this club has taken in its history," Atletico chief executive officer Gil Marin said in December 2022., external "I personally think he's a top talent, a world-class player."For reasons it isn't worth getting into - the relationship between him and the boss [Simeone], the minutes played, his motivation right now - it makes you think that the reasonable thing is that if there's an option that's good for the player, good for the club, we can look at it."I'd love him to stay personally, but I don't think that's the player's idea." Chelsea and Barcelona loans don't change fortunes Then came his first loan spell at January 2023 Graham Potter's Blues signed him on a six-month deal for a loan fee of £9.7m. At the same time Atleti extended his contract for a year to and Manchester United had also been linked to looked quite good on his Chelsea debut in their derby match against Fulham... until he was sent off for a lunging tackle on Kenny Tete in a 2-1 would only start another 13 games for the club once his three-match ban was over, plus six more off the bench, scoring four that summer new Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino, who replaced Frank Lampard, who had in turn replaced Potter, decided he did not want Felix so no permanent deal was subsequently returned to Atletico, but was reportedly seen arguing with sporting director Andrea Berta and made to train with the the man he was signed to replace, was back at Atletico and even took his number seven shirt. And then Felix angered the club and their fans by announcing he wanted to join Barcelona - and was booed on the opening day against Granada, a game he did not even play got the move to Barca, the team he said he supported as a boy, on a season-long loan on 1 Portuguese scored 10 goals for Barcelona, with two of those coming against his parent club. He was the first player to score in both La Liga games against Atletico Madrid for any side since Lionel Messi four years did look into keeping Felix but signed Dani Olmo instead - and then came another unusual move. Back to Chelsea (for some reason) Considering how Felix did not set the world alight during his loan spell at Chelsea, it was somewhat of a surprise that they paid £45m to sign him a year agreed a seven-year deal - one he is now set to leave six years signing came under strange circumstances and was perhaps one for the accountants rather than the coaching staff. Chelsea wanted to sell Conor Gallagher to Atletico Madrid, a move that would help them meet profit and sustainability rules because the English midfielder was a youth product so would count as pure Atletico could only afford to buy him if they sold someone. The Blues tried to bring in Samu Omorodion but that move fell through - so they signed Felix instead, for £12m more than the Spanish club paid them for scored on the first game of his return, against Wolves, but that would prove to be his only Premier League goal as a permanent Chelsea netted seven times for the Blues last season, one goal every 135 minutes - which actually made it the best spell of his career in terms of goals since leaving that included doubles against Panathinaikos, Noah and Morecambe as he featured mainly in cup games. Just 7% of the way through that contract he joined AC Milan on a six-month loan for a £5m time in Italy yielded just three goals in 21 games - one every 339 minutes - and is best remembered for a viral incident with Kyle Walker."Pass the ball - nobody here is Messi," Walker was filmed saying to Felix in the tunnel at half-time in a game against England defender later said on his BBC podcast that they were discussing team tactics and it was not him criticising the like Chelsea and Barcelona before, Milan did not make the loan permanent."Because of the potential he had there's always the hope things will change but, to be honest, all the clubs he's been at recently come out with the same conclusion – he's not a modern forward in terms of work-rate," said Balague."He doesn't want to change what he offers to football and that takes you to a limit."Portugal-based reporter Alves added: "When he was unveiled as a Atletico player in 2019, there were six TV channels broadcasting the presentation live. Now nobody appears to care much anymore."He's just become a five-minute segment within transfer market shows every window." Back to Benfica in a happy ending...? Nope With Felix clearly not having a future at Chelsea, even being left out of their Fifa Club World Cup squad this summer, there was talk of him returning to Benfica.A chance to go home and try to rediscover the magic from the start of his career. The romantic move."The whole world knows that Benfica is my favourite team. It's my home. One day I will return. I don't know if it's now or in a few years, but if it were now I would be very happy. There are two options: either I stay in England or I return to Benfica," he said earlier in July., externalBenfica boss Bruno Lage warned publicly that Felix could have to take a pay cut to make the move instead, he is off to Saudi Arabia and Al-Nassr, where he will play under ex-Benfica boss Jorge Jesus and alongside Portugal legend Ronaldo."Regardless of how much effort his PR team does [about those Portuguese links] - that was certainly not where you pictured him going in those Benfica days," said Alves. "Earlier this month, he told local TV that he was inclined to return to the Lisbon giants. That made a lot of sense - he would be, after all, reunited with the manager that took the most out of him in his career so far, Bruno Lage. "Balague said: "We say [in Spain] head of a rat instead of tail of a lion. "He's not consistent enough, doesn't work hard enough, doesn't fit the new position in football that has become the predominant model of our times - because it requires responsibilities and obligations he's not willing to do."Felix has won two Nations Leagues with Portugal and scored nine goals in 45 added: "The feeling is those six months of incredible football at Benfica will be the best you've seen from him. That's why it's so frustrating to see him heading at 25 to Saudi football."
