Sport

Rasmus Højlund ‘lookalike’ Sean Millis celebrates birthday boy’s goal during visit to Old Trafford

The Aussie singer has turned what started out as trolling into nothing but love and is inspiring so many others online.

Danny Jones Danny Jones - 5th February 2024

Australian singer and viral social media star Sean Millis was at Old Trafford to watch the West Ham game this past weekend, and even got to see his so-called ‘lookalike’ Rasmus Højlund score a birthday goal for Manchester United for his troubles.

The solo artist from Down Under first rose to fame on The Voice Australia back in 2023 but has gone on to become even more of an online sensation after a group of football fans began comparing him to Højlund when he first arrived at the club.

Although many of the comments started out as somewhat cruel abuse from keyboard warriors attempting to mock the Danish striker when he hadn’t yet started scoring for Man United, since then Millis has been determined to brush it off and turn all the attention into nothing but love.

Having simply embraced the ‘doppelganger’ remarks — sharing videos congratulating Højlund now the goals have started flowing and even printing a ‘ho-ho-Højlund’ Christmas jumper, as well as reacting to memes on his TikTok — Millis took things one further with a surprise trip to the Theatre of Dreams where he was flocked by fans wanting a picture with his ‘lookalike’.

@sean.millis BEST day! What a journey to Manchester! Thank you everyone for your love and support ❤️⚽️ #manutd #hojlund #oldtrafford #seanmillis ♬ original sound – Sean Millis Music

As you can see, while there may have been pockets of nastiness online at the outset, there were crowds of Reds lining up to ask for a photo with him and even singing along to his now viral track, ‘Waiting On a Miracle’, which went to number one here in the UK.

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Speaking to Sky Sports last week when he first landed in London, the 22-year-old explained that he had travelled 26 hours to get to the UK, which in itself was a big deal for him as his rare condition means travel is difficult.

Millis has a genetic disorder known as Hunter syndrome where the body doesn’t properly break down sugar molecules, causing abnormalities in many organs which often alters a person’s physical appearance and, in Sean’s case, limited lung capacity. The condition also means that he visits hospitals for several hours every day for vital therapy and treatment.

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All that being said, he’s become somewhat of a cult hero not only among United fans but countless people online who have been inspired by his story even since The Voice, revealing that he had “so many messages from people living with a rare disease from countries all over the world” thanking him for sheer positivity online.

As a nice bonus to top things off, he also got to see the 21-year-old forward score a goal on his birthday, no less, and the video of him celebrating amongst the Old Trafford faithful is pure wholesome vibes.

Despite admitting he’s a Liverpool fan, he’s clearly taken this newfound relationship in his stride. Just look at how buzzing he was!

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Having just released another new song called ‘Fight With Fire’, all about resilience and never giving up, he also did a private meet and greet with his ever-growing fan base and social media followers upon arriving for his first visit to the UK.

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Whether you agree with the Rasmus Højlund-Sean Millis ‘lookalike’ opinion or not, we are absolutely here for watching him celebrate goals here in Manchester whilst gathering more support and spreading his uplifting outlook on life in spite of everything.

What a king.

You can watch the highlights from Man United’s 3-0 over West Ham and that birthday boy goal here:

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Image — Sean Millis (via TikTok)/MUTV

Sport

Tyson Fury says he hasn’t spoken to his wife in ‘three months’ whilst preparing for Usyk rematch

Danny Jones Danny Jones Tyson Fury hasn't spoke to his wife Paris for three months preparing for Usyk 2 rematch

Tyson Fury says hasn’t spoken to his wife Paris for three whole months while preparing for the much-anticipated Oleksandr Usyk rematch.

The Manc fighter is set to face the Ukrainian counterpart in the ‘Undisputed’ sequel, simply dubbed Fury vs Usyk 2, which will result in one unified heavyweight champion of the world.

Usyk’s victory over the Wythenshawe-born boxer back in May saw him take that title for the first time since 1999 (the only man to have done so in the four-belt era) but with the rematch nearly upon us, Fury could be set to steal that title away from him.

With that in mind, the pressure has clearly been on ever since he lost the first bout and, according to Tyson himself, he hasn’t spoken to his wife Paris Fury for virtually a quarter of a year as part of his immensely strict training camp.

Speaking to TNT Sports ahead of the match this weekend, he claimed: “I haven’t spoke to Paris in three months – not a word. [I’ve] not spoke to anyone, I haven’t been on my phone.”

Explaining that he simply removed all distractions to get his head in the right space ahead of the title decider, ‘The Gypsy King’ has been known to isolate himself from the rest of the world before a big fight in the past, but cutting contact with your spouse of 10 years and partner for nearly two decades is wild.

The 36-year-old went on to detail that in order to give himself the best shot at winning, he couldn’t keep switching between “beast mode to dad mode to wife mode” and so on.

In separate interviews with other outlets ahead of the highly-awaited rematch, Fury has made various other big claims about what boxing fans can expect from his own performance, including an admission that he needs to be “more focused this time and not do as much showboating” in the ring.

Nevertheless, he also assured the media that he isn’t a quitter and has promised he will not just “f*** up” his 37-year-old opponent but “retire” him. Usyk, on the other hand, has warned he will be a different challenge than the last time the two faced each other, predicting a knockout victory too.

Having downed Tyson more than once the last time around, he’s understandably confident of his chances.

Bold words from the pair of them, indeed, but this is all just part and parcel of the usual pre-fight build-up; all we really know is that Usyk won the previous face-off and Fury is the one with the point to prove.

While younger brother Tommy Fury recently had to pull out of his scheduled fight against Darren Till, during which tensions seriously boiled over during the first press conference, it looks as though there is no risk of more cancellations and any more ‘will they won’t they?’ antics between these two at least.

The rematch, or ‘Fury vs Usyk 2: Undisputed’ to give use its full title (the latest in Saudi Arabia’s growing fight scene and live sports programming as part of Riyadh Season) takes place this Saturday, 21 December, with the two set to clash once again from 10:25 GMT.

Who do you think will emerge victorious from this one and, more importantly, when do you think we’ll see the third and ‘final’ fight when they inevitably demand a trilogy?…

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Featured Images — paul62_2017 (via Flickr)/Netflix (via screenshot)

Sport

A Manchester City fan has died after a medical incident at Manchester derby

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson Manchester City has confirmed one of its supporters has died after a medical incident at the derby match. Credit: The Manc Group

A Manchester City fan has tragically passed away after a medical incident at the Manchester derby yesterday.

The club has confirmed that one of the club’s supporters died after collapsing during the match against Manchester United.

They wrote: “Manchester City are aware of the tragic news that one of our supporters passed away following a medical incident at yesterday’s match.

“The thoughts of everyone at the Club are with their family and friends at this incredibly difficult time.”

Man City and Manchester United faced off at the Etihad Stadium yesterday, with Man United eventually taking the win thanks to a 90th-minute goal by Amad Diallo.

An eyewitness told the Manchester Evening News they saw the fan being administered CPR at around 4:10pm.

People have been leaving tributes to the Manchester City fan, who has not yet been named, online.

One person wrote: “RIP that city fan. No one should go to a football match and not come home again. RIP”

Another said: “An important reminder amongst all the squabbling over yesterday’s result is that the football isn’t everything. Thoughts are with his family, RIP blue.”

Someone else posted: “Rip blue. Thoughts are with your family and friends at this sad time.”

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Featured Image – The Manc Group

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