Notebook: Worst. Contract. Ever.
If you’re a wonderkid and want a contract for life, Fourfourtwo has some advice for you – go and play for Dinamo Bucharest
1 PUT A SOCK IN IT England Sheffield
When Billy Sharp celebrated a goal by putting a sock on his hand, he probably didn’t imagine it would lead to a WWE legend posing in a Sheffield United shirt with ET. But that’s what happened.
Sharp followed a goal by pretending to be Mr Socko, a sock puppet wrestler ‘Mankind’ uses to finish off his opponents. The wrestler, real name Mick Foley, heard about the stunt and was so impressed he flew in from the US for a Blades game, and was later given a shirt.
2 THANKS, DAD Germany Dortmund
Borussia Dortmund’s Yellow Wall is well known for its tifos, and BVB unveiled a father-and-son special for their match against Wolfsburg.
“As a kid I came with my dad – he was brought along by his too,” read the banner underneath the tifo of a father and his child leaning on a crush barrier. It was a touching message, and Dortmund went on to win 2-0.
They probably felt a little less grateful to their dads after witnessing a 5-0 battering at Bayern Munich, though. Time to get another banner ready complaining about child cruelty…
3 CRUYFF’S BUS TRIBUTE Netherlands Amsterdam
It’s now more than three years since the passing of Johan Cruyff, and an unusual tribute to him has been unveiled in Amsterdam: a bus shelter.
The legend has been depicted wearing an Ajax jersey in semi-religious stained-glass fashion on the side of the shelter in Javaplein square. It’s fittingly on route 14, which presumably starts off in one direction, then abruptly turns around mid-journey.
4 ONE FOR THE ROAD England Liverpool
A little-known Merseyside band have received the ultimate publicity boost – from Andrea Pirlo.
The style icon was in Liverpool to represent Milan in a charity game, and joined forces with Gennaro Gattuso, Massimo Oddo and Massimo Ambrosini to recreate The Beatles’ famous Abbey Road cover.
Pirlo’s endorsement could work wonders for the publicity-starved group. Just no one tell him that Abbey Road is actually in London...
5 THE WORST DEAL EVER Romania Bucharest
When Dinamo Bucharest signed wonderkid Ionut Serban from Sportul Studentesc in 2013, the deal stipulated they’d have to pay an extra £850,000 fee to Sportul’s owner if they ever sold him, loaned him or even released him.
Sadly, Serban’s early promise faded (he’s played only 292 minutes of football in three years), yet cash-strapped Dinamo can’t afford to let him go. “A former chairman signed this contract – Serban can stay as long as he can play,” current chairman Constantin David admits. They might as well give him a squad number for the 2030-31 season now.
6 IT’S A MARATHON, NOT A SPRINT USA Los Angeles
If running a marathon wasn’t tough enough already, one chap had a great idea to make it even harder: by dribbling a football for the entire 26 miles.
Christian Rodriguez impressively completed the LA Marathon with the football, wearing a Japan shirt for the occasion and reaching the finishing line in a time of five hours, six minutes, 27 seconds.
Photographer Mike Carranza captured Rodriguez mid-dribble – follow @gossamr on Instagram for more remarkable pictures.
7
TWO GAMES, ONE DAY Venezuela Cabudare
Think three games in a week is fixture congestion? That’s nothing – Deportivo Lara had to play twice on the same day after the Venezuelan football federation refused to reschedule a league match to accommodate a Copa Libertadores encounter.
Coach Leonardo Gonzalez guided Deportivo to a 3-2 league win at Llaneros at 3pm, then made the two-hour journey back to the club’s home city of Cabudare, fielding a completely different line-up for their evening victory over Argentina’s Huracan.