Germany vs Argentina World Cup 2014: Russian comedian Vitaly Zdorovetskiy streaks, kisses Benedikt Howedes, takes jail selfie
The notorious prankster stripped off and blew kisses to the crowd as he ran towards several bemused looking players on the pitch
Your support helps us to tell the story
This election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.
The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.
Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.
Blink, took a quick tea break, glanced at Christ the Redeemer and you would have definitely missed it.
But a Russian comedian caused far more upset to the German defence than Lionel Messi did during the World Cup Final yesterday, when he streaked onto the pitch during the second half of the game.
The notorious prankster, named Vitaly Zdorovetskiy, stripped off and blew kisses to the crowd as he ran towards several bemused looking players on the pitch with the words “natural born prankster” scrawled across his stomach.
He made a b-line towards German player Benedikt Howedes, and attempted to plant a kiss on his lips.
TV viewers were, however, unable to witness the spectacle, as cameras cut to an image of Christ the Redeemer set against an impressive golden sunset instead – a production practice usually reserved for such occasions in order to discourage it.
Zdorovetskiy was eventually Rugby-tackled to the ground and dragged off the pitch by five security guards.
He shared the pre-empted moment with his 202,000 Twitter followers, and even took a “jail selfie” after he’d completed his stunt:
Of course, not even Zdorovetskiy, infamous for his prank YouTube channel VitalyzdTV, could take the attention away from the second World Cup flasher in the stands – Rihanna.
Here’s how the Barbadian singer put her own celebratory spin on proceedings.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments