How two 'humble' landscapers caught Erling Haaland's eye

Staffordshire landscapers Wade Taylor and Shane Hassall's viral prank video challenging Haaland to comment has been viewed 16 million times, and the Manchester City striker responded.

A pair of Staffordshire landscapers, Wade Taylor and Shane Hassall, who run Maple Landscapes in Penkhull, posted a prank video on Instagram last week in which Hassall challenged Taylor to a day off for go-karting if the post reached 100,000 likes and attracted a comment from Manchester City striker Erling Haaland.

The video went viral, accumulating over 16 million views. It reached 100,000 likes within four hours, and two days after posting on Tuesday, Haaland responded on Thursday evening with two comments: "Enjoy" and "Your evening just became a bit better." The pair said they never expected the Norway striker to actually reply.

TeamSport in Burslem subsequently offered them a free go-karting session to complete the challenge. Despite the viral success, Taylor said their day-to-day lives remained unchanged, noting they continue working as landscapers across Staffordshire and Cheshire. The company had recently increased its focus on social media marketing through prank-style videos. Taylor and Hassall are now planning their next challenge: securing 500,000 likes and a comment from England captain Harry Kane to raise money for BBC Children in Need, with a pledge to walk from Stoke-on-Trent to Salford Quays if successful.