Polish side Wisla Plock have surely claimed the prize for the best announcement of the year so far, as they revealed a player’s contract extension with a Grand Theft Auto-style video.
With the summer transfer window finally underway, teams are getting more and more creative with their announcements of signings. Some teams still prefer the traditional route of a photo signing a contract or holding a shirt, plus a small press release.
However, in recent years, social media departments have been upping the ante, in the knowledge that a good announcement video can go viral.
In this case, Wisla Plock already knew this. They have done a Grand Theft Auto type video before, for defender Piotr Tomasik’s contract extension. This summer, the Polish team have done it again.
Wisla Plock release Grand Theft Auto-style video
Wisla made their most recent creation for another Piotr Tomasik contract extension. Maybe he is the only player willing to act in the clever videos?
The clip starts by loading into the streets surrounding Wisla’s stadium, with a small GTA-style map in the bottom left corner of the screen. Then Tomasik, as the main character in a third-person perspective, hijacks a civilian’s car.
After this, the police come flying into the shot, in pursuit. So, Tomasik evades them by ducking into a modification shop – as you can in the video game. He then ditches the car and walks past the now unaware police, still holding his gun.
Following a conversation with another character – where they both humorously walk on the spot video-game style – the Wisla man is given a ‘mission’. He is to go to the football ground and sign a new contract. But first, he visits the barber to get a GTA instant haircut and change his outfit. Pretty cool, right?
At the start of his mission, Wisla included the famous GTA San Andreas line – “Ah s**t, here we go again”. Following this, Tomasik hops on a BMX and makes his way to the stadium.
Once he is there, the player arrives and signs his contract in an ingenious video game-like manner, after which he shakes hands with the ‘bosses’ that he met. The video ends with the player walking away from the stadium and the classic GTA ‘Mission Passed’ screen.
It is a genuinely brilliant announcement, and one which likely won’t be topped this summer. But they are not the only team to have revealed a new signing via a Grand Theft Auto re-make.
Other unique player reveals
Real Betis and Newport County have made GTA-inspired videos in the past, again achieving viral success. The usage of the gaming franchise’s style seems to resonate with fans. As a result, these teams enjoyed a lot of positive reviews on social media.
However, other clubs have gotten creative without copying from video games too.
For instance, a particularly memorable announcement involved magic. When former Arsenal midfielder Santi Cazorla signed with Villarreal, the Spanish side went all out. They had a magician unveil Cazorla with a magic trick.
Cazorla appeared in a plume of smoke from a previously transparent capsule in a very impressive illusion, which stood in the middle of Villarreal’s pitch.
These unique and brilliant announcement videos are a great source of entertainment in the off-season lull. Long may they continue.
Featured image credit: Twitter / @WislaPlockSA
