Before a 1989 Leeds vs Wolves game at Elland Road, Vinnie Jones famously slide tackled a five-year-old mascot during the warm-up, sending him flying! Captured in photographs, Vinnie hilariously explained later that he saw the mascot as 'over-confident', mimicking a professional player who 'deserved' a playful tackle.
He said: “He had to have it. He had to go. He was giving it all that on the way out he was. Started getting the crowd going. Mervyn Day was in goal. He smashed one past Merv in the top corner. So I thought ‘he’s got to go’.
“It was before the game. I was just getting warmed up. When you go out with the mascots and you are holding hands, I thought ‘has anyone ever taken one out?’ That would be a crack.
“It was really wet and slidy as well. I went to Batts [David Batty]: ‘Watch this’. He went: ‘No! No!'” I went sliding in. I slid quite a long way. I took his legs out just as he was about to smack one at the ‘keeper.”
The youngster's name was Rob Kelly and, when told he was five year’s old, Vinnie replied: “Five?! I thought he was at least six!”
There's only one Vinnie Jones 😂
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1BPExCD9dQ/ Before a 1989 Leeds vs Wolves game at Elland Road, Vinnie Jones famously slide tackled a five-year-old mascot during the warm-up, sending him flying! Captured in photographs, Vinnie hilariously explained later that he saw the mascot as 'over-confident', mimicking a professional player who 'deserved' a playful tackle.
He said: “He had to have it. He had to go. He was giving it all that on the way out he was. Started getting the crowd going. Mervyn Day was in goal. He smashed one past Merv in the top corner. So I thought ‘he’s got to go’.
“It was before the game. I was just getting warmed up. When you go out with the mascots and you are holding hands, I thought ‘has anyone ever taken one out?’ That would be a crack.
“It was really wet and slidy as well. I went to Batts [David Batty]: ‘Watch this’. He went: ‘No! No!'” I went sliding in. I slid quite a long way. I took his legs out just as he was about to smack one at the ‘keeper.”
The youngster's name was Rob Kelly and, when told he was five year’s old, Vinnie replied: “Five?! I thought he was at least six!”
There's only one Vinnie Jones 😂
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1BPExCD9dQ/