Birmingham City midfielder gifts Mercedes to teenage trainee

In a remarkable display of generosity (for a footballer, anyway), Birmingham City midfielder Olivier Kapo gave his £30,000 Mercedes to the teenager who had looked after his boots throughout the 2007/08 Premier League season. The lucky lad in question is James McPike (pictured above), a 17-year-old on City’s books who has just signed a pro contract for the relegated club – yeah, we know the headline is slightly out of date, but “Championship star” is something of an oxymoron.

Kapo reportedly tossed the keys to McPike, who had merely expected an old pair of the Frenchman’s boots by way of thanks. When the stunned youngster said he’d struggle to even pay the insurance, Kapo drove him home, handed him the spare keys and log book, and said he’d pay for a year’s insurance on McPike’s behalf. We know that a £30k car means a lot less to a professional footballer than most of us – Kapo also owns a Porsche and a Hummer – but still, it’s a gesture that marks Kapo out as one of football’s nice guys.

On hearing the news, Birmingham boss Alex McLeish said: “It was a magnificent gesture and one that’s entirely in keeping with Kapo’s character… As he was in such a generous mood, I asked him what he had done with the house he had left behind in Turin. Unfortunately, he smiled and said he wanted to keep hold of that.”

Good to see that Big Alex still has his sense of humour, especially after what happened last weekend.

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[Daily Mail]