It was once customary for Premier League players to be gifted a bottle of champagne as reward for winning man of the match.. Times have moved on since then, with players now receiving a small trophy in recognition of their display.. But Norwegian club Bryne FK – where Manchester City forward Erling Haaland started his career – have come up with a novel approach by awarding eggs to their player of the match.. The club, based in the south-west of Norway close to the city of Stavanger, were promoted back to the top-flight last season for the first time since 2003.. They were beaten 1-0 by Europa League quarter-finalists Bodo/Glimt in their first fixture back in the top division on Sunday.. But they were kept in the match by goalkeeper Jan de Boer, who pulled off a string of fine stops and saved a second-half penalty.. The Dutchman’s reward? Four trays of eggs, of course.. The prize is a nod to the club’s ties with local agriculture, which is dominated by meat and dairy production.. Such is the association with farming, supporters are often heard chanting “we are farmers and we are proud of it” at matches, and there are ‘VIP’ tickets on sale for fans to watch games from a pitchside tractor.. But any Bryne player hoping to get their hands on eggs next week will be disappointed because the club say their player of the match against Kristiansund on 6 April will be given cartons of local milk.
