Watch the moment Oldham striker Mike Fondop does his best Antonio Rudiger impression with bizarre running style… after Real Madrid defender’s technique went viral at the World Cup
- Mike Fondop took over Antonio Rudiger’s running technique in the Oldham win
- He left the fans in stitches as he ran with high knees during their 4-1 win over Barnet
- Trent and Bellingham can play together, but not get in each other’s way – IAKO
Football fans will have flashbacks to Antonio Rudiger’s bizarre running technique during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar – after Oldham striker Mike Fondop adopted a similar technique during his side’s victory over Barnet.
Real Madrid defender Rudiger went viral for his unorthodox style when he lunged forward with high knees while shielding the ball from Takuma Asano during Germany’s 2-1 defeat to Japan.
The former Chelsea defender received widespread support for adopting the unusual running style, with pundits claiming he was ‘trying to overwhelm the opposition’, while ex-Germany star Didi Hamann portrayed him as ‘outrageous’ and ‘arrogant’.
Things ultimately went wrong when Germany were shocked by the Japanese before being dumped out of the tournament in the group stages – but Fondop was showered with praise from the fans for using a similar technique in midweek.
Fondop scored in the comfortable win for the Latics at The Hive, making it 2-0 with half an hour to play in the second half, but around ten minutes later his antics put a smile on the faces of the Oldham fans.
Mike Fondop did his best Antonio Rudiger impression with a bizarre running technique during Oldham’s win over Barnet
Rudiger went viral at the 2022 World Cup for changing his running style to exaggerate his movements during the match with Takuma Asano
Barnet had just pulled one back to make it 2–1 through Harry Pritchard’s penalty when Oldham pinged a long ball over the top, sending Fondop on his way down the left.
Racing for the loose ball and as a Barnet defender raced back to try to intercept, Fondup began charging forward with high knees, lifting his legs higher and higher in an attempt to push off his marker.
After the race, Fondop was asked by a friend on Instagram to explain his running position.
Fondop replied: ‘The track runner technique bro. Scares the defender and moves faster.”
Fondop said his ‘track runner’ technique ‘scares the defender and helps him go faster’ – as he mimicked Rudiger’s style
Fans enjoyed Fondop’s flamboyant moment as they enjoyed the moment on social media.
One supporter wrote on
Another said he ‘galloped like a mighty stable’, while one jokingly asked: ‘When is the statue going up?’
“Quality walking out there from big Mikey,” read another post.
Fondop has been with Oldham since January 2022 and has scored 16 goals in 52 appearances for the club.
Last season he scored thirteen times in forty games and his strike against Barnet was his first of the season.
