Video: Mario Balotelli and Liverpool team-mates shown up by free-kick extraordinaire Bas Van Velzen in prank competition

Bookmakers' Betfair set-up the meet by informing the Liverpool stars they were playing with a competition winner

Bas shows the pro footballers how it's done

Mario Balotelli knows how to take a free-kick. The Liverpool striker may not be having the best of seasons at Anfield, but that didn’t stop him from joining his team-mates and a lucky fan to practice their free-kicks.

The problem for Lazar Markovic, Rickie Lambert, Fabio Borini and Balotelli was that the so-called ‘fan’ was YouTube sensation Bas Van Velzen, who has made a name for himself by (you guessed it) taking free-kicks and uploading them to the video website.

With millions watching Van Velzen’s talents, online bookmaker Betfair decided to set-up the meeting and prank the current Liverpool stars, who clearly hadn’t done their research on Van Velzen.

The Liverpool stars are yet to figure out who Bas really is

Lambert, Balotelli and Bas watch on as Markovic steps up

Balotelli sends his effort into the top corner

Bas and Markovic look on while Balotelli takes any opportunity to mess around with the ball

Bas shows the pro footballers how it's done

Worryingly, all four Liverpool stars miss their opening efforts at goal, which doesn’t even see a wall put between them and the goalkeeper. True to form, Van Velzen steps up and curls a peach of a free-kick into the back of the net.

With their second efforts, Balotelli, Lambert and Borini all find the back of the net while Markovic hits the crossbar, but it’s left to Van Velzen to make it two out of two as he swerves the ball above the goalkeeper’s head.

Watch the video below...

(L-R) Markovic, Balotelli, Van Veltzen, Lambert and Borini

Bas Van Veltzen proudly shows off his Liverpool shirt

It takes the pro footballers little time to realise that Van Velzen isn’t just your average fan competition winner, and he leaves the players in a fit of laughter when he unveils a Balotelli-style ‘Why always me?’ t-shirt under his jacket.