Max Verstappen, Luke Litter and Erling Haaland have very different sports to contend with – but that doesn’t stop them from sharing the same love for a particular treat

Max Verstappen, Luke Littler and Erling Haaland walk into a kebab shop. Sounds like the start of a rubbish joke, doesn’t it?

But it could one day be reality – maybe. There’s little that the three-time F1 world champion, the teenage darts sensation and Manchester City’s goal machine have in common.

However, as the old saying goes, the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. And for the trio above, there’s no better way of achieving that than with a kebab.

For Verstappen, it’s a craving he has to fight against throughout the F1 season, with his weight crucial to the performance of his Red Bull. He was seen battling back the urge to indulge in Viaplay’s documentary Off the Beaten Track, which is available to stream now in the UK.

Their cameras were on him as he travelled to his home Grand Prix in the Netherlands last year. While in a car with some of his team, Verstappen confessed: “You know what I would like right now? A kebab. That would be so good. Turkish kebab, so good. I love it.

“I think it’s honestly one of my favourites. If you would tell me ‘You’re on an island, you have your last meal. What would it be?’ A kebab would definitely be included.”

Verstappen has even admitted that he would choose a kebab for Christmas dinner if given the choice. “If I could choose what to eat at Christmas, I would eat a kebab because it’s my off-season,” he revealed in a previous interview.

Littler’s fondness for kebabs became well-known after he made his debut on the senior darts scene at the World Championship. The young star celebrated his first-round victory with a trip to the takeaway.

The 17-year-old was rewarded with free kebabs for life at his local, Hot Spot in Warrington. But Littler also tries to keep a lid on his desire, telling the Guardian: “I had a kebab after my first win and didn’t have another in two weeks.”

And it’s also important for Haaland to avoid too many takeaway trips, however tempting they may be. “If I cheat, I eat kebab you know? Kebab pizza is my favourite thing. I love it. It’s so good,” he explained.