Alisha Lehmann and Montel McKenzie Get Engaged!

Alisha Lehmann and her boyfriend Montel McKenzie have announced they are engaged after a whirlwind romance which began at the start of the year.

Leicester City player Alisha, 27, who has previously been referred to as the 'world's sexiest footballer', wrote alongside the pictures 'forever and always'.

The moment Montel, 28, who appeared on Love Island in 2023, got down on one knee and asked Alisha to marry him was caught on camera.

For their special night, Alisha was wearing a black mini dress with a white trim with a pair of white slip on sandals and her blonde locks worn loose.

Montel looked stylish in a cream sleeveless cricket jumper with shorts and trainers for the beach proposal. 

After saying yes, Alisha and Montel wrapped their arms around each other and embraced in celebration. 

Other snaps of the romantic moment show them looking into each other's eyes and admiring her new dazzling diamond ring.

They received congratulatory messages from Montel's Love Island co-stars Casey O'Gorman, Ron Hall and Tyrique Hyde.

Speculation that they were set to get engaged was sparked in May after the couple were spotted visiting a jewellers together. 

It is not clear whether Alisha helped to pick the ring she is wearing in their engagement photos.

Alisha manages the six-a-side team MVPs United in The Baller League, for which Montel plays. 

He is now a staple of the Baller League, a tournament once dubbed 'the future of football' fronted by influencers, celebrities, and former football stars 

They first revealed they were romantically linked in January of this year. 

A source previously told The Sun: 'They hit it off straight away and have been going on dates afterwards.

'Alisha has been flying him to her Como apartment for sneaky weekend breaks for a while now, I don't think Montel could believe his luck.

'Everyone is really happy for them, although initially everyone thought it was going to be just a casual thing.'

Before finding love with Montel, Alisha was dating Aston Villa star Douglas Luiz for four years until last year.

Alisha was previously in a four-year relationship with Aston Villa star Douglas Luiz but the pair split last year.

Montel was coupled with Leah Taylor on his first Love Island stint, before briefly returning on the All Stars spin off in 2025.

Earlier this year, he spoke to Daily Mail Sport about his struggle to find a club after reality TV fame because people 'no longer think he's serious'.

He said: 'After going on the show, you get branded as a TV star and whatnot, but if you know me, you know that I'm very focused on football. It's just something that I have always tried to excel at.

'So being given this opportunity to be on Sky Sports, and be in front of all these celebrities and influencers, it's helped me to put my mark down that I am a footballer.

'You don't see me play at Folkestone, so Baller League and Sky Sports on a Monday night has given me the platform to show that I do both, and both to a pretty high standard.'

Since Love Island, he has since amassed 165,000 followers on Instagram, and, as his agency, Outreach Talent Group, says on its website, he has a 'passion for fashion and lifestyle'.

However, that is just a small speck of who Montel actually is. Before the show, he was a semi-professional footballer playing right-back for National League South side Hemel Hempstead.

These days, when not in front of the flashing lights and cameras in the Baller League, the defender's main focus lies with seventh-tier side Folkestone Invicta.

But initially finding a club after life on Love Island proved more arduous for Montel than he was expecting.

'It's something that I found difficult,' McKenzie adds. 'Initially, I thought it would help me because I thought there would be more eyes on me, or people would just be watching out for me more.

'But it actually didn't help me. A lot of managers didn't sign me because they thought, "Oh, he might not be serious about football", so it kind of gives you a bad name in that space.

'You know, football, they don't really like the showbusiness of it, they want to keep it very football.

'It's the same with people who have personalities; they don't want people to show the other side of them. Which is why I think Baller League is so good because you can express your personality, do your celebrations, and talk a bit of smack.

'It just makes it a lot more fun for the players, and more enjoyable for the viewers as well.'

Montel has played in both seasons of the Baller League thus far, starting with YouTuber TBJZL's team, VZN FC, before moving to MVPs United - a team no longer part of the league - in the second season.

At MVPs he was coached by Maya Jama, who he knew well from Love Island, and Alisha.

While the tournament has unusual rules – including long-range strikes counting as two goals – much of its allure comes from the personnel involved, such as Maya Jama and Alisha and, of course, Montel himself.