‘An overall great guy!’ – Casper Ruud explains why John Arne Riise inspired him, will cheer for Erling Haaland in final

In the latest edition of Voice Notes, our series where the stars ask the stars, Casper Ruud explains to Steve McManaman which former Champions League winner inspired him the most.

BT Sport will show the Champions League final between Manchester City and Inter Milan live on June 10 across the Weekend of Champions.

“Hi Casper, it’s Stevie McManaman here, the Champions League final is coming up on the 10th of June in Istanbul as you probably know.

“Which previous Champions League winner inspires you the most and why?”

Ruud’s initial response was “Oh good question,” before he took a minute to think about his answer. In the end though, there was only one name he could go for.

“Hey Steve, thanks for your question I love watching the Champions League. This year it’s going to be a great final with my fellow Norwegian in it, [Manchester City striker Erling] Haaland. I’m going to be cheering for him obviously,” the world No. 4 said.

“The previous champion that has inspired me is going to have to be a Norwegian as well, I’m going to go for Liverpool’s John Arne Riise.

“He’s a really fun guy, I’ve played golf with him a couple of times and he’s always super positive. I haven’t necessarily taken too much from his football to my tennis but he’s an overall great guy and he sort of put Norway on the map when he won all those years ago.

“The final was crazy I mean coming back from 0-3 in Istanbul and the final is there again this year so let’s see if there’s some more magic there but yeah I’m going to go for good friend John and my good Norwegian friend.”

On June 10 and 11 strap yourself in for a live sport rollercoaster ride. With the finals of Roland-Garros, 24 Hours of Le Mans, Speedway Grand Prix, the UCI Mountain Bike World Series, the Criterium du Dauphine, MotoGP and the Champions League final, it’s the Weekend of Champions live on Eurosport, discovery+ and BT Sport.