With nothing else to do in the off-season, most clubs’ social media accounts are having a bit of fun on Twitter and Facebook. What else can their social media team do when players are on vacations and football comes to a virtual standstill?
Going viral on social media is quite the rage now and most clubs have caught up with the craze, indulging in some cheeky banter to appease their fans and give them a laugh. And in this case, it was Bundesliga club Schalke 04 that decided to troll Chelsea legend John Terry.
In 1997, Schalke won the UEFA Cup – their only major European trophy to date – when they beat Inter Milan in a penalty shootout. Back then the final was a two-legged affair and both teams won their home legs 1-0. In the shootout, Schalke won 4-1 and lifted the UEFA Cup at the San Siro in Milan in front of 81,675 fans.
The final was 20 years ago and as part of their #FlashbackFriday tweets, the club decided to look back at that triumph as they get ready to battle it out on the pitch again in pre-season friendlies.
It started out as a harmless tweet with a picture of the triumphant squad with the trophy and winners’ medals around their necks. Then the club tweeted another image of celebrations on the flight back to Gelsenkirchen and asked a... pertinent question.
We all know how a suspended John Terry suddenly appeared in his full kit to lift the UEFA Champions League trophy when Chelsea beat Bayern Munich in 2012 at the Allianz Arena. What made it worse was that John Terry had arrived for the game in a suit (complete with a tie) before changing into his Chelsea kit for the trophy presentation.
It was an act that has now become a meme on social media. And Schalke were not quite done yet!
Well played!
