West Ham United has had a mixed start to the 2024/25 Premier League season under new manager Julen Lopetegui, with a loss and a win against Villa and Palace respectively.
One West Ham player who has caught the eye early in the season is Brazilian midfielder Lucas Paquetá. Though his on-field performances have been solid, it’s his off-the-ball antics that have truly grabbed the headlines in the past.
The midfielder has been charged by the Football Association for allegedly getting booked deliberately “for the improper purpose of affecting the betting market.”
Despite these serious allegations, Paquetá has still managed to bring some funny moments out of West Ham’s games with his playful and unpredictable antics.
Like most Brazilians, Paquetá has the extra flair and oomph, and doesn’t shy away from giving the crowd and fans some entertainment with his dancing celebrations and fun TikToks.
During West Ham’s away trip to Selhurst Park to face Crystal Palace, Paquetá provided a moment of hilarity as Palace prepared to take a free kick.
Paquetá stood in the West Ham wall, seemingly ready to defend. But in a flash, he broke from the wall, sprinting towards the ball in an attempt to nick it off the marked spot.
He managed to create another funny moment in the build up to West Ham’s EFL bout against Bournemouth that went viral.
During the pre-match warmup in a display of his Brazilian flair, Paquetá flicked the ball over one steward, only for it to bounce and hit another steward on the head, who was facing the other way.
The real humour stemmed from Paquetá’s immediate and instinctive reaction to the incident. His response was to feign innocence, gesturing as if the ball had come from far away owing to a possible loose long ball.
He carried out the noble duty of apologising on behalf of his “rogue teammates” of course, who were the culprits in letting the long ball hit the poor steward.