Sunderland's Spider-Man and the 10 Strangest Pitch Invaders Ever
Manchester City's 4-1 win over Sunderland on Wednesday was progressing as expected until the 87th minute, when a friendly neighbourhood comic book character made his way onto the field to interact with the players.
Seemingly aware that Sergio Aguero was the only superhero who was supposed to be on the field, the Peter Parker impostor peacefully made his way off the field and into the waiting arms of the law.
In honour of Spidey's unexpected Premier League cameo, here are 10 of the strangest pitch invaders the game has ever seen.
The Skydiver Who Dropped in on a Game
1 of 10A non-league match between Salisbury and Chester in September 2013 was briefly held up when a pitch invader fell from the sky.
According to the BBC, the man was an experienced skydiver who was jumping for charity, but was forced to make an emergency landing in the middle of the game.
Hence, the parachutist is a rare example of an accidental pitch invader.
Will the Real Cristiano Please Stand Up?
2 of 10A pre-season friendly between Real Madrid and Fiorentina in Warsaw saw an appearance from two Cristiano Ronaldos.
One was the World Player of the Year who opened the scoring, while the other was a slightly rotund impostor who came on and tried to get his head on a corner.
Clucking Madness at Blackburn
3 of 10There are few sights more surreal than a chicken wearing a cape strutting onto the field during a Premier League game.
This is exactly what happened when Blackburn Rovers hosted Wigan Athletic in May 2012, with the home fans releasing the bird in protest over their chicken-producing owners Venkys.
This may seem like a poultry excuse for such foul play (boom! boom!) but the same thing happened a few months later during a game against Burnley.
Pop Goes the Weasel
4 of 10Chances are you have never heard of a Pine Marten, but the attendees of FC Thun's clash with FC Zurich in March 2013 were given a live demonstration of the weasel-like creature.
The little fella evaded capture for several minutes until Zurich's Loris Benito grabbed him, but the critter gave him a nasty bite and wriggled loose. Thun's goalkeeper finally caught him and the Swiss Super League was restored to order once again.
Angry Activity at Alkmaar Against Ajax
5 of 10Typically, pitch invaders only want to run on the field and make a spectacle of themselves, but on very rare occasions, they will try and cause harm to players.
The latter scenario played out during a 2011 Dutch Cup match between AZ Alkmaar and Ajax, when an invader ran straight towards Alkmaar goalkeeper Esteban Alvarado, looking as if he wished to cause harm.
But he clearly picked on the wrong goalie, who defended himself and repeatedly kicked the unwelcome guest on the floor.
Esteban was shown a red card for his actions, but later had it rescinded.
The Tottenham Trolls
6 of 10Unfortunately, we now live in a world where there are YouTube channels dedicated to pranks that send people onto the pitch during games to make "amusing" videos and promote brands. What a time to be alive.
One such channel made headlines during a recent Europa League game between Tottenham Hotspur and Partizan Belgrade, when three separate pitch invaders encroached the playing surface at White Hart Lane, each wearing shirts advertising a headphone manufacturer.
They managed to get the game temporarily abandoned before half time, and they earned charges for themselves and Spurs.
Jimmy Jump's Japes
7 of 10For some folks, pitch invading is a drunken mistake; for others, it's a lifestyle.
Jaume Marquet i Cot—better known as Jimmy Jump—has invaded the pitch at dozens of domestic, Champions League and international matches, as well as grands prix, basketball games and even the Eurovision song contest.
At the 2010 World Cup, Jimmy attempted to put his iconic red beret on the World Cup trophy, but was tackled by FIFA goons just inches before reaching his goal.
Jump won't be applying for a mortgage any time soon: He is thought to have racked up fines totalling $350,000 (around £223,000) and has subsequently declared himself bankrupt.
Belgium's Defiant Duck
8 of 10The only duck that is typically seen on a football field is Alexandre Pato, whose surname translates to the lake-dwelling bird in Spanish.
However, a Belgian Pro League game between Zulte Waregem and Lokeren in 2010 featured an actual duck on the playing surface.
Rather than trying to gently coax it off the field with a trail of breadcrumbs, Zulte striker Mahamadou Habib Habibou callously picked Daffy up and threw him over the advertising hoardings. He was given a chorus of boos for the rough treatment.
The Colombian Owl Howler
9 of 10Stand by for more winged-animal-related cruelty.
During a 2011 encounter between Colombian sides Atletico Junior and Deportivo Pereira, an owl landed on the field and was temporarily dazed when it was struck by the ball.
Rather than attempt to help the injured and panicked creature, Pereira defender Luis Moreno booted it from the field. Cue massive boos from the horrified crowd, who couldn't believe the cruelty they had witnessed.
Sadly, the owl died a few days later.
The East London Free-Kick Specialist
10 of 10Tottenham's Christian Eriksen was lining up to take a free-kick at West Ham United earlier this season when a cheeky pitch invader beat him to it. Not only is the technique quite good, but Eriksen's reaction is hilarious.
A youth running on to the field to kick the ball is not particularly strange, but what happened afterwards was. Not only did the judge fining the 22-year-old praise him for "bending it like Beckham," but he actually crowdsourced the funds to pay his £305 punishment.
