I humbled Gerrard as mascot before playing non-league under ex-Prem star
IT seemed like a harmless joke at the time.
But a five-year-old who played a prank on Steven Gerrard lived long in the former Liverpool legend’s memory.
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The incident saw a blue-haired, Chelsea-mad Jake Nickless offer to shake Gerrard’s hand before withdrawing it and leaving Gerrard hanging.
The clip was immortalized by Sky Sports and became one of the first viral YouTube football clips, watched by millions of people.
And Gerrard would write about the incident three years later in his 2009 autobiography “My Captains Book.”
The midfielder wrote: “If it had been an adult I would have wanted to wring their necks!”
Instead, the former Liverpool captain was all smiles at the time, even ruffling the cheeky boy’s blue hair.
Gerrard went on to say in his autobiography that this is the only time he remembers chuckling to himself in a tunnel before the match, preferring to approach matches with a stoic determination.
Whether the joke played a role when Chelsea won the match 2-0 that day thanks to goals from William Gallas and Hernan Crespo remains unclear.
But what many don’t know is that Nickless would one day have his own football career.
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Nickless would sign for National League South team Billericay Town in 2020, playing under none other than former Spurs and Hull midfielder Jamie O’Hara.
When O’Hara signed the then 20-year-old joker, he said: “He’s a good little player. He’s decent, left-footed and can score a goal.”
He also made it clear he was aware of his history as a prankster, saying: “It’s crazy to think he was so little, it feels like yesterday. I remember laughing about it.
‘I put it in our group chat and told guys to get started on this! That boy on trial with us, that’s him. They laughed about it.’
“They all remember it as an iconic moment in the Premier League, but I don’t think Gerrard will come and watch us, that’s for sure!”
Speaking of the joke Sports Bible After signing for Bilericay, Nickless said: “I remember my dad pushing me into it.
“I kept saying I wasn’t going to do it and I think he finally believed it so he stopped.
“But at the time I was just excited and thought, why not? I knew the game was on TV too and there were a lot of people watching, so I just provided some entertainment.”
Jake said Gerrard didn’t appreciate it, but the Chelsea players did.
“Me and Gerrard didn’t really speak at all. All I said was ‘Gerrard!’ to get his attention.
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“I remember Claude Makelele and Michael Essien laughing when it happened, and John Terry patted my head afterwards as I walked back to hold his hand.
“I think everyone thought it was funny…except Stevie G.”
Nickless would make two appearances for Billericay.
He also had non-league spells with Harlow Town and Tillbury FC, but it is unclear whether he is still playing football now.