MORTEN Gamst Pedersen normally tops the scoring charts rather than the music charts.

But the Blackburn Rovers midfielder, who is second only to the king of Norway in terms of popularity in his homeland, has further enhanced his cult status by recording a hit record with Norwegian boyband The Players'.

The group, fronted by Pedersen, consists of five professional footballers, the four other members being Freddy dos Santos, Raymond Kvisvik, Kristofer Hstad and yvind Svenning.

And they recently released a hit single called This Is For Real' to help raise money for a Red Cross project named Soccer Against Crime', which charted at number four in Norway.

The band also performed a one-off gig in Oslo over the summer in front of a crowd of 5,000.

And according to midfielder Dos Santos, who plays for Valerenga, Pedersen easily settled into his role as a heart throb.

He said: "I have never been so nervous, not even for a match, but Morten took centre stage and was really enjoying himself.

"The whole band was based around him. He sung all the high notes. He was the star.

"The crowd really enjoyed our performance, but Morten was the guy who was melting all the girls' hearts.

"The song wasn't really my musical taste but we raised money for a worthwhile charity so it was well worth it.

"The plan was just to do one but you can never say never. I'll have to give Morten a ring and see what he says."

Footballers and pop songs don't normally mix - remember Hoddle and Waddle's Diamond Lights'? - but This is For Real' isn't actually that bad, apart from the cheesy video. Telegraph verdict: 7/10.

Meanwhile, Pedersen reckons Rovers have turned a corner following Sunday's win over Manchester City.

He said: "Hopefully we can build on that and get something out of our trip to the Riverside."