Haaland passes on the Ballon d'Or ceremony to head to Sweden and support a friend as they win their domestic league title

Erling Haaland chose to skip the Ballon d'Or event in Paris on Monday to support a friend as he celebrated winning the Swedish league title with Malmö.

The Manchester City striker, who was nominated for the Ballon d'Or but not seen as a top contender, was spotted in the stands as Malmö defeated IFK Göteborg 2-1 to clinch the title with two games left in the season.

He shared a photo on Instagram wearing a Malmö jersey, which is the same light blue color as Manchester City’s shirt.

Haaland’s Norwegian friend Erik Botheim plays as a forward for Malmö.

Malmö, which is eight points ahead of Hammarby in the league standings, has now won the Swedish title a record 24 times.

Due to the long winter, the Swedish league begins in the spring and wraps up in the fall, unlike most other European leagues.