Manchester City striker Erling Haaland, one of the world’s top soccer stars, surprised recently freed Israeli hostage Omer Shem Tov with a personal phone call, a moment captured in a video posted Wednesday to Shem Tov’s Instagram account.
Shem Tov, 21, was abducted by Hamas from the Nova music festival during the October 7 massacre and returned home in early March.
In the video, Shem Tov is seen speaking with visible excitement as he thanks the Norwegian marksman. “I really appreciate what you're doing and I really like you, Haaland. How you play. You're amazing. It's amazing. I'm so excited,” he says.
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Haaland, who has not made public comments about the war in Gaza and did not join calls in Norway to condemn Israel before a 2026 World Cup qualifying match, kept the conversation personal and warm. “We wanted to say hi. Everything going good with you today?” he asked Shem Tov, who responded, “Amazing, thank God.”
Shem Tov has also received messages of support from Brazilian soccer legends Rivaldo and Ronaldo.
Earlier this month, he visited Dancer Square in Herzliya to take down the banner that had called for his return. During the visit, he delivered a heartfelt message: “Thank you for not giving up on me, for supporting, embracing and surrounding my amazing family. Every prayer or energy you sent me, I felt it — even in the darkest place, I felt a spark of light. Mom, Dad, Dana and Amit, how lucky am I to have you as my family.”