England football legend Wayne Rooney is set to row the River Mersey after pledging to do so if Brazil lost to Norway at the World Cup, as the Daily Star reported this week. The Scandinavian side stunned the South Americans with a 2-1 victory, and the BBC pundit and soccer ace said: “I’m a man of my word.”
Only Fools and Footballers
While at Portsmouth, ex-England goalie David James had to drive round town in a beaten-up Reliant Robin, similar to the three-wheeler used by TV sitcom character Del Boy, after he was judged to have been the worst player in training. His teammates even fitted it with a loudspeaker playing farm animal noises.
Pink-Faced
At Swansea City FC, back in 2014, the club’s Spanish defender Àngel Rangel lost a crossbar challenge in training and was forced to motor around in a pink 4x4 covered in butterflies and featuring some fluffy dice, for a week, admitting he was “absolutely devastated.”
Blousy Performance
Roberto Fernandes, ex-manager of Brazilian club Figueirense, invented a bizarre way of motivating his players if they were in bad form – by making them don a pink dress in training. The first victim was defender Jairo, whose performance soon improved.
Load of Balls
During his days at Bolton Wanderers, forward Dean Holdsworth set up a forfeit system for players and gaffers based on the team scoring or conceding goals. A 5-0 victory saw chairman Phil Gartside forced to gobble sheep’s testicles and manager Sam Allardyce dress up as a clown.
Bum Result
In 1998, ex-Middlesbrough ace Bernie Slaven vowed to bare his bum in a department store window if Boro beat Man Utd in a match. They did, and Slaven duly showed off his buttocks in a pair of red pants bearing the score 3-2. He said: “If only I had kept my big mouth shut.”
Locks the Plot
Former England forward Rodney Marsh branded Bradford City “the worst team in the Premiership” and vowed to have his head shaved if they weren’t relegated at the end of the 1999 season. He duly got his barnet chopped off for charity.
Mascot-cha!
Ex-England striker Peter Crouch ended up spending the day as a mascot for non-league Farnham Town FC last year. The towering former Stoke City player agreed to help lead the team out with other kids in full team kit, after finishing bottom of his fantasy football league group.
Pants Prediction
Match of the Day TV host Gary Lineker was forced to present the show in his boxer shorts after vowing to do so if his former club Leicester City won the Premier League at the end of the 2016 season. They did so at odds of 5000/1 to one.
