French defender Maxime Soulas was rewarded in an unusual fashion after being named man of the match in Sonderjyske’s 3–2 victory over Nordsjaelland on 4 August with a wheelbarrow full of potatoes.
The 26-year-old centre-back opened the scoring for his side in the Danish Superliga clash and was handed 55 kilograms of potatoes as his post-match prize.
“I gave the potatoes to my club’s cafeteria, and they donated some to a soup kitchen,” Soulas told AFP on 6 August.
This starchy surprise was courtesy of the match’s sponsor, who decided on the unconventional award. “He found it funny, and now the story’s gone round the world,” said Sonderjyske’s communications director Jacob Ravn.
Originally from Montpellier in southern France, Soulas joined Sonderjyske in 2021 after a brief stint with Amager in Copenhagen. Before arriving in Denmark in 2020, he had played his club football in the Netherlands.
