Wesley Sneijder and the 10 Most Awkward Mascot Moments

As the teams lined up before the Netherlands' Euro 2016 qualifier with the Czech Republic on Tuesday, it appeared that someone had made an error.

The Dutch player in the line decreased in height as their mascots increased. As a result, 5'7" Wesley Sneijder had to stand beside his "player escort" to have any chance of seeing over his head. 

This supremely awkward situation inspires this list of embarrassing and hilarious mascot moments... 

The Mascot Who Franck Ribery Traded

Wesley Sneijder isn't the only one to feel uneasy about the height of his mascot.  

Before Mark Van Bommel's testimonial in July 2013, Franck Ribery was concerned that his lanky cohort would make him look small. So, while in the tunnel, the 5'7" Frenchman switched out with Holger Badstuber for a smaller model. 

The Arsenal Mascot Who Didn't Enjoy Holding Mikel Arteta's Hand

By all accounts, Mikel Arteta is a pretty nice guy. His mascot during Arsenal's visit to Napoli in December 2013, however, didn't really enjoy his company. 

Perhaps a little intimidated by his debut Champions League appearance, the poor kid bawled his eyes out in the tunnel and continued to weep as he stood on the field. 

The Chelsea Mascot Who Duped Steven Gerrard

The benchmark for mascot cheekiness was set in the tunnel at Stamford Bridge before a 2006 league game between Chelsea and Liverpool. 

A five-year-old Blues supporter offered his hand to Steven Gerrard before quickly withdrawing it, blowing a raspberry and giving the Liverpool captain a wink. 

Stevie G later admitted that the awkward moment was the only time he has ever smiled in the tunnel. 

The West Brom Mascot Who Wouldn't Shake Steven Gerrard's Hand

What is it with mascots and Steven Gerrard?

Before a match between Liverpool and West Bromwich Albion in 2010, a blond-haired young lad resolutely refused to shake Gerard's hand when it was extended to him.

And we all know, that kind of behaviour is only acceptable if the man offering the handshake slept with your girlfriend or is Luis Suarez. And speaking of Mr Suarez...   

The Tottenham Mascot Who Snubbed Luis Suarez

When Liverpool headed to White Hart Lane last December, a young Tottenham Hotspur mascot earned her 15 minutes of fame by doing something that a few professionals have done in their time: Refuse to shake hands with Luis Suarez.

The cheeky young girl does a rude gesture instead, but does slightly catch the Uruguayan's hand as she passes. It's amazing he didn't go to ground. 

The Aston Villa Mascot Who Snubbed the Manchester City Mascot!

What's more awkward than a mascot refusing the hand of a player? How about blanking another mascot!

Before an Aston Villa match with Manchester City that occurred the day after Patrice Evra snubbed Luis Suarez's hand, the young Villan followed the example of his elders and decided to completely ignore his City counterpart.

A Villa statement issued to The Sun (via joe.ie) claimed the boy was simply "overawed by the occasion." 

The World Cup Mascot Who Used a Ghana Player as an Armrest

In the tunnel before Germany's World Cup clash with Germany in Fortaleza, a youngster decided it would be funny to use a Ghana player as an armrest when he bent down to tie his laces.

It was quite funny and it was witnessed by a global audience of millions. 

The England Mascot Who Flipped off the Camera

As the England team marched onto the pitch at Wembley for a friendly against Denmark in March, the young boy holding Glen Johnson's hand used his other hand to flash a very rude sign to millions of fans watching at home. 

We could give the youngster the benefit of the doubt and suggest that he was simply excited and making an involuntary action, but it was still pretty awkward. 

The Chelsea Mascot Who Pranked John O'Shea

Eight years after that cheeky Chelsea mascot tried to make Steven Gerard look foolish, another Blues youngster pulled a similar stunt on Sunderland's John O'Shea. 

The mascot really defied the ethos behind a "Fair Play Handshake" procession by wiggling his hand and sticking out his tongue at the Black Cats captain, who appeared to take the incident with good humour. 

The Arsenal Mascot Who Received a Painful Per Mertesacker High Five

Here's a warning for all future mascots: If you go for a high five with a 6'6" German defender whose nickname is the "BFG," you might get hurt. 

That's exactly what happened in the tunnel before an Arsenal match with Bayern Munich earlier this year, when a young lad was left with a stinging palm. 

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