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A statue of Manchester City star striker Erling Haaland has been stolen after it received complaints of being ‘too ugly’.
The 10ft tall effigy was placed 50ft above a store in Bryne, Norway, which is Haaland’s home town.
However, it has now been removed from its place after fans complained that it looked absolutely nothing like the 22-year-old forward.
According to The Sun, the thief, thought to be a disgruntled fan used a crane to take the statue away overnight.
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The sculpture was commissioned by businessman Tore Sivertsen for £10,000. However, even Sivertsen himself admitted that the statue was ugly.
It was put into place two weeks ago and the plan was to auction it in order to raise money to fund a hospital in Tanzania. However, that plan is now at risk after the statue disappeared.
Sivertsen told The Sun: “We are all enormously proud of Erling.
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“I thought it would be good to commission a statue to pay tribute.
“Some have complained it’s too ugly though, let’s face it, Erling is not a pretty guy. But I was still shocked that someone decided to steal it.”
The statue was sculpted by renowned wood sculptor Kjetil Barane, who spent a year to craft it from a log that was 100 years old.
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Sivertsen added: “I accept it may not be to everyone’s taste, but I like it.
“It’s a work of art rather than a realistic representation of Erling Haaland.”
Haaland arrived in Manchester as City’s marquee signing of the transfer window, he is thought to be the final missing puzzle piece which will propel Pep Guardiola’s side to the elusive Champions League trophy.
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The Norway super star has made a lightning start to his career with the Etihad club, having scored a goal in each of his first three Premier League games for the club.
Guardiola recently spoke about the signing of Haaland, stating the 22-year-old has huge talents and hopes he can make a big contribution to the team.
He told Football Focus on BBC: “We can't deny how incredibly talented he is.
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“And from what I've seen of him so far is that he's a huge competitor and every transition is incredible.
“But we've had a lot of legends here, who have all made big contributions.”
Haaland will be looking to continue his goal scoring run when City take on Crystal Palace at the Etihad stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Topics: Manchester City, Erling Haaland, Norway
Marcus Chan