Aston Villa‘s Alisha Lehmann has sent pulses racing in her latest racy photoshoot.
The Swiss footballer is one of the most prominent figures in the women’s game, boasting more than 15.5million followers on Instagram.
Selected to be the first ever female cover for SWM, the 24-year-old posed for photos in MJ Jones jewellery, while also wearing a striking leather jacket and over-the-knee boots.
Lehmann has her hair slicked back for the all-leather shoot as part of her collaboration with the lifestyle brand and in a snippet of her interview, she says: ‘Sometimes you break the rules but I think you have to because that’s the road to success.’
Lehmann was thought to be the most valuable women’s footballer featuring at this summer’s Women’s World Cup on Instagram, with her average value per post estimated to be a staggering £241,314.
Alisha Lehmann made history as the first female cover star for SWM with this racy photoshoot
The Aston Villa forward has become one of the most recognised players from women’s football
Her notoriety beyond football means that she is a woman in demand, and she recently shared that she received an offer of £90,000 (100,000CHf) from a ‘very well-known person’ to spend the night with him.
‘I was in Miami, my favorite place, and I met some friends at a club,’ the player explained on DirTea Talk podcast. ‘I got a message on my mobile, which I didn’t reply to, but the same person then messaged the bodyguard looking after me.’
‘The texts came from a very well known person. We had previously bumped into one another at an event.
‘The message said, “I will pay Alisha 100,000 Swiss francs (roughly $110,000) to spend a night with her.”‘
Lehmann turned down the offer, whilst questioning the amount teasingly, prompting the unnamed man to repeat-message her bodyguard.
‘But my answer was – no way! And just 100,000?,’ Lehmann added. ‘The crazy thing is that I still have his message on my phone. It is a bit stupid.’
When asked to reveal a hint about the identity of the man, she was tight-lipped, saying: ‘I cannot reveal his name. But he is very, very well known on an international level.’
The Aston Villa player has built up a strong brand on Instagram and seen international fame
The 24-year-old became the first-ever female brand ambassador for KSI and Logan Paul‘s sports hydration drink Prime, joining the ranks of male peers such as Erling Haaland, and is also making waves as a businesswoman in the world of fashion.
Such is her fame that the WSL star is also releasing her own calendar for the second year in a row.
In February, Lehmann spoke about how she has dealt with her rapid rise to fame both on and off the pitch.
‘Some people just see Instagram and social media and don’t even know I actually play football, when I don’t post a football picture for a week, people say, “oh she doesn’t even play”‘, she explained.
‘I think sometimes it’s a bit hard because obviously I play like I train every day, like everyone else, like I play every weekend and sometimes it’s hard because they make a picture of you.
‘I’m a proper footballer. I work hard every day. I want to be the best version of myself in football and that’s my first priority in life.’
The 42-cap international joined Villa in 2021 and in August extended her stay in the Midlands until 2026, with the option of a further year.
2023 will even see Lehmann release her own photo calendar for the second year in a row
The 24-year-old is thought to have the highest estimated earnings per post on Instagram of any women’s footballer featuring at the Women’s World Cup
Canadian rapper Drake is a fan of Lehmann and she recently revealed the music artist reached out to get one of her Aston Villa jerseys.
She did not confirm whether if she had agreed to the request of the For All The Dogs artist, but if she did, Drake may find the jersey she sends wanting.
Villa have struggled this season with their matchday shirts, with the controversial Castore fabric becoming drenched with sweat within minutes of action.
Carla Ward’s side did elect to wear the unpopular shirt during their season opener against Manchester United, despite complaints from both the men’s and the women’s sides.
The club are working with Castore to find a solution to the heavy shirts – which may be affecting team performance – as quickly as possible.
