Inside jet-setting life of ‘world’s sexiest athlete’ who was chased by Playboy & trained with Man City’s Erling Haaland
SHE’S known as the World’s Sexiest Athlete - and now it seems she’s got a new pal in football icon Neymar.
Alica Schmidt made headlines when she was seen out with the world’s most expensive footballer at the launch for a new car in Berlin.
The 23-year-old German 400m runner was snubbed from the Olympics team last summer, but that hasn't stopped her getting noticed, due to her stunning looks.
Alica has been picking up gigs in TV and modelling alongside her running - and even rejected an offer to appear in Playboy.
We reveal all about her glam life and why fans joked she was the reason Erling Haaland stuck around at Dortmund before joining Manchester City this week.
Running queen
Alica first came to prominence by helping Germany take silver in 4x400 relay at 2017's European Athletics Under-20 Championships.
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She carried on her success in 2019 by helping the national quartet to the U23 European Championships bronze in the 4x400 relay.
But she was limited to supporting from the sidelines last summer at Tokyo 2020, after failing to make Germany's final women's 4x400m relay team.
She posted on Instagram: "I’ve been receiving so many sweet messages from you guys over the last few days 🙏🏼❤️ . You all have been so anxious and excited for my debut in the 4x4 relay at the Olympics.
"After an in practice race simulation I wasn’t able to secure my spot in the line up for the prelims.
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"Im so grateful for all of the love and support that I have been receiving on this journey. Now I can’t wait to cheer on my girls today and hope that we can make it into the Olympic final!
"I couldn’t be more thankful for all the experiences I have already made during my time in Tokyo. I’ve been able to learn so many things and can’t wait where my athletic career will take me in the upcoming years
"I can’t thank every single one of you enough for your incredible support."
'Keeping Haaland at Dortmund'
That didn’t stop her from getting fan attention, however.
Thanks to her posting stunning bikini photos on Instagram on a regular basis, Australian magazine Busted Coverage dubbed her the “Sexiest Athlete in the World”.
And she has a whopping 2.9million followers on Instagram, with whom she shares her intense weight-lifting and running workouts.
When she was filmed training Jadon Sancho and Erling Haaland, as part of her work with Bundesliga giants Dortmund and her sponsorship deal with Puma, fans even joked it was a tactic to keep them at the team.
One fan said: "That's why players stay in Dortmund."
Another added: "This is the greatest strategy of any club to keep their best players."
Glamorous holidays
When she's not training, Alica travels the world in glamorous locations - from Bali to Greece.
She shared loads of stunning pictures from a trip to Crete in September, and added: "Living my best life."
And last month, before she headed to Tenerife to train, she shared a snap of herself in a bikini on a beautiful beach in Bali.
She wrote: "Can't wait to be back in the sun tomorrow."
Rejected Playboy offer
Her good looks and following have also landed her some modelling jobs too - including the chance to walk at Milan Fashion Week for Hugo Boss.
Alica modelled clothing from the fashion brand’s second season of its Russell Athletic capsule collection - and shared the spotlight with supermodels Gigi Hadid, Joan Smalls and Irina Shayk, among others.
Sharing photos to Instagram along with a clip of her on the runway – set on a baseball field – she wrote: "Yesterday was a blast, thank you so much for having me.”
However, she previously rejected an offer to pose for Playboy.
TV career
Alica has also recently announced she’s venturing into the TV world, and is set to feature on hit German TV show ‘Who Knows Something Like That?’
Alica announced her TV debut on social media, showing she was on the set of the game show.
Fans will get a glimpse of the appearance later this summer, when the show broadcasts on June 7.
But it may just be the start of a career in telly.
Heart lies in sport
Despite this, Alica seems uncomfortable with being known for her looks and remains adamant that sport is where her heart lies.
"I do not know why I got this title," a bewildered Alica said about being World’s Sexiest Athlete. "Sport comes clearly first.
"There are thousands of girls on Instagram who look good and still do not have as many fans.”
She was far more ecstatic when her country was able to relax coronavirus restrictions last summer.
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Schmidt posted on social media: “I can finally train on the track again. The last month I did everything alone or in pairs outside.
“I am so happy to be able to train in the stadium again as usual even if nature was not that bad for the training session!”