Ben Pawlowski
YOUNG supporters of Las Palmas gave their new star striker a surprising gift to celebrate his debut for the club last weekend – a bottle of aftersun.
Oli McBurnie, who represents Scotland at international level, reportedly turned down a salary three times greater than what he earns at the Gran Canarian club in order to make his ‘dream move’ from the Premier League earlier this summer.
With ginger hair, pale skin and an ironic surname, many Las Palmas supporters were worried how their new forward would adapt to the Canary Island sunshine.
So after making his debut in a 2-2 draw at home to Sevilla last weekend, a group of young fans hatched a cunning plan – in exchange for McBurnie’s No.16 shirt, they would offer him a bottle of aftersun.
Following his move from Sheffield United, McBurnie joked that he was preparing for life in Spain by ‘buying four bottles of aftersun’.
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The striker, who has played 16 times for Scotland, has been joined at Las Palmas by his good friend and international teammate Scott McKenna.
Known as a boisterous personality on and off the pitch, McBurnie is hoping to get back on track after a string of personal problems.
In 2019, he was charged with drink-driving, incurring a €30,000-plus fine and a 16-month driving ban.
In 2021, McBurnie was arrested by North Yorkshire Police after a video circulated on social media appearing to show him in a physical altercation with another man, who sustained facial injuries.
In December 2022, McBurnie was found not guilty of assault after a police investigation into a video allegedly showing the forward ‘stamping’ on a pitch-invading fan.
Earlier this year, McBurnie’s brother, Xander, was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma and underwent a course of chemotherapy – he has since been given the all-clear and has vowed to head to Spain to visit his brother.
