Peter Crouch makes hilarious late bid for England World Cup call-up

Peter Crouch is at it again.

Just a month ago, he managed to overshadow the birth of Prince William and Kate’s new baby Louis - literally - by posting up the best tweet of the entire event:

And now, in the wake of England’s first World Cup warm-up game - a 2-1 win at Wembley against Nigeria on Saturday - he’s worked his magic again with a hilarious video of him pulling off a 30-yard trick shot into a basketball net, accompanied by the caption, “I still haven’t booked any holidays Gareth”:

While the tweet is obviously meant to be a joke (and he admitted it took him three times to nail the shot), it’s often forgotten amongst the Twitter laughs that Crouch actually boasts a superb record for England, netting 22 goals in 42 appearances for the Three Lions, playing in both the 2006 and 2010 World Cups; indeed, his first competitive goal for England came in a crucial win against Trinidad and Tobago in Germany (although it was later to prove controversial as replays showed him pulling on Bent Sancho’s hair to gain an advantage).

It’s also impressive that, despite his relatively advanced years, he continues to ply a Premier League trade, appearing 34 times for Stoke City this season and scoring 6 goals, although this was not enough to stop the side suffering relegation. He appears to be showing no signs of hanging up those big boots and is likely to add to his career total of 203 goals in 703 games next season, whether in the Championship or elsewhere.

However, while his playing days will surely wind down soon, he remains Twitter’s MVP in football terms, racking up a host of brilliant tweets.

The Stoke City forward, who was once asked what he’d be if not a footballer and replied “a virgin”, clearly has a quicker wit than many of his peers - here are a few examples:

Holidays

Still at the top

Physique

Self-deprecation

Big omission

Legendary goal celebrations

R.I.P.

Politeness

Oh, and all that controversy about Raheem Sterling’s gun tattoo? Turns out it was nothing of the sort.

(Image: Getty)