Image via Complex Original
The sport of soccer has something of a history when it comes to pranks. These capers have come in the form of players clowning on one another in the dressing room-sometimes testing the limits of what can be deemed a joke-to fans getting the better of players and coaches through something as simple as a good old-fashioned prank call. In particular, England’s Premiership has produced some of the more headline-worthy stunts and incidents throughout the years. Some of the antics elicit responses of laughter, others will leave you shaking your head in disbelief. From Rio Ferdinand pulling a well choreographed move on Peter Crouch to an Arsenal fan getting the better of Jose Mourinho, celebrate this April Fools’ Day by checking out a Brief History of Premiership Pranks.
Liverpool Builders Leave Gary Neville With a Special Gift
Date: 5/30/2008
Anyone who knows football knows that career Manchester United defender Gary Neville has a strong disdain for anything Liverpool. So while it was a laugh for everyone, but Neville that is, it was even sweeter for Liverpool fans to learn about a brilliant prank pulled off by Liverpool brothers, Brian and Gary Greer. The brother builders were contracted to work on the former England international's pool, and decided to leave behind a little memento for Neville. The pair buried a Liverpool "time capsule" containing a scarf and match program, among other goodies, under the foundation of the pool. The brothers had the perfect quote when they revealed their epic prank, "When his house is dug up in the future, archaeologists will see what a passion he had for the Red man." Now that is some Scouse wit.
Rio Ferdinand "Merks" Peter Crouch
Date: 2/20/2009
England defender Rio Ferdinand pulled a fast one on Peter Crouch in the form of a hoax real estate development proposition. Watch the clip above as hilarity quickly ensues as soon as the "developer's" plans are revealed to the former England striker. The best part is watching how increasingly uncomfortable Crouch gets as the prank escalates from shady sales pitch to the actions of an angered investor. Full credit to former Liverpool star Robbie Fowler for playing his part in the joke to perfection. Would you want a penthouse apartment at a development shaped like that?
Shots Fired at Chelsea Training
Date: 2/20/2011
Ashley Cole probably should've thought better of his decision to bring a .22 caliber air rifle into the Chelsea training facility a few years ago. Cole brought the gun out and started marching around with it, before firing a led pellet into the side of a 21-year-old work student from almost point-blank range. The pellet ripped through Tom Cowan's clothing and right into his body, as he screamed in pain. Apparently the England international didn't realize the gun was loaded, which sounds like a sound excuse. We seriously doubt Cowan signed up for this type of ish when he took the one-year internship with Chelsea. We're also waiting to hear why Cole thought it was a good idea to bring the weapon to the facility in the first place.
Mario Balotelli Takes Aim at His Teammates
Date: 3/27/2011
Because why wouldn't you throw darts at youth team players in your downtime. Mario Balotelli was spotted throwing the darts from a first floor window at Manchester City's training complex, instead of training like he probably should've been doing. Thankfully, none of the players were hurt in the incident, and Balotelli simply received a slap on the wrist for his actions. When asked why he did it, though, the striker simply replied that he was "bored." Why always him?
Manchester City Gets Even With Balotelli
Date: 8/2/2011
Mario Balotelli is no stranger to shenanigans both on and off the pitch. Well, during his time with Manchester City his teammates decided to give the Italian a dose of his own medicine. Several players put a bag of fish inside Balotelli's Maserati, before the entire team took off for a two-week tour in the United States. Balotelli came back two weeks later and as you might imagine, he was almost incapacitated by his discovery. Yikes, that is definitely some foul play, and such a terrible thing to do to such a fine automobile. Nothing like getting off a trans-continental flight only to be greeted by flies and the smell of rotting fish permeating fine Italian leather.
Fire Safety Procedures Tested at Cobham
Date: 3/20/2012
Smoke bombs have long been a menace on football pitches, but usually it's fans who are responsible for that sort of mischief. Well, a few years back the script was flipped by a few players at Chelsea's training ground who were found guilty of letting off a smoke grenade in the reserve team dressing room. Midfielder Jacob Mellis and teammate Billy Clifford admitted to causing the panic, which resulted in a full evacuation of the facility as well as the presence of fire marshals. Mellis was kicked out of the club for setting off the bomb, and Clifford got off easy with a fine for his role in the stunt. We bet Chelsea owner Roman Abromovich was very pleased when he heard about the day's events.
Michael Owen Gets a Propper Sendoff at Stoke
Date: 5/12/2013
In a week that Stoke City officials probably wish never happened, you'll see later on, Michael Owen was given a proper sending off by his teammates. The former England international's Mercedes C63 was covered in eggs and flour as part of some weird farewell gift ahead of his final home match before retirement. Some people get a fine bottle of liquor or a plaque of some sort when they retire, Michael Owen gets his automobile treated like a mixing bowl at Magnolia. Owen didn't seem to take the prank too hard, but as we mentioned earlier, this week was about to get much stickier for Stoke.
Stoke City Takes Locker Room Pranks to the Next Level
Date: 5/17/2013
Locker room pranks are one thing, what happened in the Stoke dressing room towards the end of last season is a whole other story. Just two days before Stoke's final game against Southampton, striker Kenwyne Jones was horrified when he found a full-on pig's head wrapped in his clothes inside of his locker at the Clayton Wood training ground. Swiping clothes and messing with grooming products are funny, putting a bloody pig's head in someone's locker makes us question the psychological well being of some. Needless to say, Jones was distraught by the incident, as was his girlfriend who took to social media regarding the prank gone too far, and Stoke launched an internal inquiry regarding the matter. The kicker has to be the picture Brek Shea posted on Instagram of him holding up the pig's head in the dressing room. Without it the world would never know what kind of sicko's lurk in the Stoke side.
Kenwyne Jones Gets Even, Kind of
Date: 5/17/2013
The pig's head in Jones' locker clearly, and understandably, upset the striker. What he did next would clearly upset Glen Whelan. Jones was under the impression that the Ireland international was responsible for putting the pig's head in his locker, and in a rage of retaliation he put a brick through the window of Whelan's Porsche. Unfortunately, it turns out Whelan wasn't behind the pig prank, and Jones had to offer up a private and public apology regarding the damage to Whelan's car. So just to recap, Jones finds a pig's head in his locker, breaks his teammates car window with a brick in retaliation, then he has to pay for the damages after realizing Whelan wasn't the culprit. This sounds like one very long day for Kenwyne Jones.
Kyle Walker Has Some Halloween Fun
Date: 10/31/2013
Does it get anymore classic than donning a scary mask and scaring the crap out of your friends on Halloween? We think not, and judging by this video from the Spurs YouTube account, it's good to see that even professional footballers aren't beyond getting into the spirit of the holiday. Check out Kyle Walker dressing up like some sort of ghoulish creature and getting the best of some of his Spurs teammates. Who's scarier, Kyle Walker in costume or Sandro in street clothes?
Mourinho Falls Victim to the Classic Prank Call
Date: 1/10/2014
Jose Mourinho is one of the most decorated and respected managers in the game. Yet, a recent prank proved that even the Special One isn't beyond getting the wool pulled over his eyes by one of the oldest tricks in the book. Just to set the scene, it's late Friday night and Chelsea are staying at the Forest Pines Hotel ahead of their away match the next day at Hull. Just take a listen to the clip above, in which Arsenal fan, James Smith, gets put through to Mourinho's room for a late-night chat regarding a few disciplinarily issues. The best bit has to be James and his friends' reaction at the end of the conversation.
Jason Puncheon's Shampoo Substitution
Date: 3/21/2014
When you step off a flight it's fair to say that you might not be quite ready to hit the ground running. Well, teammates of Crystal Palace's Jason Puncheon were definitely banking on that theory when they attempted to pull one over on the midfielder. After a team flight earlier this year, Puncheon, like many who look to freshen up after travel, went to grab a wash bag and a shower. What Puncheon found upon a closer examination of the goods was that there had been some tampering with the shampoo and conditioner contents. It's unclear exactly what liquid was in the bottles, but we're certain it wasn't something Puncheon, or any other teammate, would have been happy to be covered in. Puncheon took to social media, of course, to alert the world of the prank.