English football club Burnley won the internet this week with their announcement that Bafana Bafana and former Orlando Pirates player Lyle Foster has joined their squad.
The English Championship log leaders confirmed the signing of Foster from KVC Westerlo in Belgium on Wednesday night for an undisclosed fee.
LancsLive reported the fee to be around €7m (R131m) with the potential to rise to €10m (R187m) if Burnley are promoted to the Premier League. This would make it a South African transfer fee record.
But it was not only the move that had social media users talking, but the way it was announced.
The club posted an altered clip from the Shrek movies of Lord Farquaad speaking to a magical mirror about potential transfers.
The mirror points out that Burnley are not yet “the most perfect team of them all”, before offering the Lord three potential players to improve their squad.
It jokingly offers World Cup winner Lionel Messi and his rival for greatest footballer alive Cristiano Ronaldo, before announcing a third option: “A super South African from the Belgium Pro League. At only 22 years old he has already represented and scored for his national side at both youth and senior levels”.
After encouragement from the crowd of guards behind him, the character chooses Foster.
WATCH | Lyle Foster’s Burnley transfer announcement draws praise, as SA fans 'take over' the club
Image: Burnley FC
English football club Burnley won the internet this week with their announcement that Bafana Bafana and former Orlando Pirates player Lyle Foster has joined their squad.
The English Championship log leaders confirmed the signing of Foster from KVC Westerlo in Belgium on Wednesday night for an undisclosed fee.
LancsLive reported the fee to be around €7m (R131m) with the potential to rise to €10m (R187m) if Burnley are promoted to the Premier League. This would make it a South African transfer fee record.
But it was not only the move that had social media users talking, but the way it was announced.
The club posted an altered clip from the Shrek movies of Lord Farquaad speaking to a magical mirror about potential transfers.
The mirror points out that Burnley are not yet “the most perfect team of them all”, before offering the Lord three potential players to improve their squad.
It jokingly offers World Cup winner Lionel Messi and his rival for greatest footballer alive Cristiano Ronaldo, before announcing a third option: “A super South African from the Belgium Pro League. At only 22 years old he has already represented and scored for his national side at both youth and senior levels”.
After encouragement from the crowd of guards behind him, the character chooses Foster.
The announcement was hailed by many online as hilarious, clever, and brilliantly executed.
Foster became Burnley's third signing of the January transfer window, and heads to the championship having scored eight goals in 21 games in the Belgium top-flight this season.
“I'm very happy to be here. I’m blessed and thankful for the opportunity and I just can’t wait to get started. From the moment I heard that there was interest from Burnley, my heart and my head were set on the club. I’m so happy to be here now. It’s a dream for me,” Foster said of the move.
Local fans, like they do when their heroes join a major club overseas, flooded the club's pages with follows, jokes and messages of support.
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