The World Champion has signed with a fourth-division football club, where he is set to become a key player for the team in the coming season.

Erik Valnes had neither the Olympics nor the season he had dreamed of this winter. He fell ill just before the championships, had to return home before the Games were over, and has not competed in a single ski race since.

Now the 29-year-old from Troms has signed with Mellembygd, a fourth-division football club.

The skier himself believes it could go well.

“I’ve had quite a bit of contact with the ball, let’s put it that way, and if I play well this could really make waves in the sports community,” Valnes told Nye Troms.

The last time Valnes played an official football match was in 2017, when he turned out for sixth-division side Sørreisa. The team won that game 11–1, but Valnes broke his collarbone.

Becomes a key player

According to the club’s player-coach, Adrian Nymo Melseth, Valnes will be a key figure for the team.

“We’re getting a player who fits in perfectly with us — someone who can run 15–16km every match,” said player-coach Adrian Nymo Melseth.

The plan is for him to feature in the club’s upcoming games.

“Erik will play for us whenever he gets the chance, and with his fitness level, it’s going to be excellent. We might have to bring him up from Europe when he’s away,” he said.

The ski star has also made clear he is not stepping away from cross-country skiing. Valnes intends to use football as part of his preparation for the Nordic World Ski Championships in Falun next winter.

Popular trend

Valnes is not the only ski star to have tried his luck on the football pitch. Last summer, Johannes Thingnes Bø signed with Vinger IL and made a dream debut in his new sport.

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