- Former Crystal Palace striker Alexander Sorloth missed the birth of his son to score
- Arne Slot needs to be his own manager. Replacing Jurgen Klopp is an impossible task. Don’t try to emulate him. Listen It’s all starting! podcast
- Phil Foden reveals what it’s REALLY like to play for Pep Guardiola in an It’s All Kicking Off special. Listen Spotify, Apple or anywhere you get your podcasts
A footballer missed the birth of his daughter in Spain because he had a much more significant moment to attend to: scoring in an inconsequential league match.
Villarreal striker Alexander Sorloth avoided the birth of baby Emma to score the winning goal in the 92nd minute against AlmerÃa.
The Norwegian shooter had received a special dispensation from Villarreal to miss the game and treasure one of the most special moments of his life shared with his teammate Lena Selnes.
But Sorloth, 28, knew his priorities and scored the winning goal in a 2-1 away win to help Villarreal retain their ninth place in LaLiga.
To top it all off, she held a celebration by cradling the baby and sucking her thumb in tribute to her newborn, who no doubt understood and appreciated her paying tribute to him.
Alexander Sorloth missed the birth of his daughter with Lena Selnes to play a soccer match
The Villarreal forward missed the birth of his daughter and scored the winning goal in the 92nd minute
Sorloth used to play for Crystal Palace, but only scored one goal in 20 games.
His commitment to the cause cannot be questioned.
He should look familiar to some fans in England, having made 20 appearances for Crystal Palace between 2018 and 2020, although he only scored one goal for them.
Sorloth now has 18 goals this season, even if Villarreal have been in a bad mood. Palace fans might wish they could have him back.
With his 15 LaLiga goals, he is just three strikes behind Girona’s top scorer Artem Dobvyk and could hope to make a late push for the Pichichi Trophy, awarded to the top scorer.
As peculiar as his story may sound, he is not the first player to miss his first moments of fatherhood to learn football.
Marius Hoibraten, who plays for the Japanese club Urawa Red Diamonds, missed the birth of his son to be present at the Club World Cup in December.
In the end it was a calamitous decision because he scored an own goal against Manchester City, who beat them 3-0 in the semi-finals. However, he was still able to witness the birth of the fruit from his womb via Facetime.
Other footballers have made the opposite decision.
Sorloth has scored 18 goals in all competitions this season but Villarreal is in mid-table
Xabi Alonso missed a 2008 Champions League quarter-final match with Liverpool to be present at the birth and, as a result, fell out with manager Rafa BenÃtez.
Meanwhile, Fabian Delph flew home from the 2018 World Cup and missed England’s 4-3 penalty shootout victory over Colombia in the last 16 to be with his wife as his wife, Natalie, when his third couple was born.