Take one gullible footballer, throw in an unscrupulous teammate and a fake parking enforcement officer, and you’ve got the prefect ingredients for one of the best pranks of the year.

Declan Rice hit the headlines earlier this year after being fooled by Chelsea’s Mason Mount, and the West Ham midfielder has now shown again that he is susceptible to a practical joke.

Hammers’ captain Mark Noble was the driving force behind the hoax after teaming up with Betway to con Rice.

The 20-year-old had driven to a venue in Hackney to attend a FIFA 20 event alongside full-back Ryan Fredericks.

He parked his Range Rover on the car park outside the building, unwittingly opening the door for Noble to set-up an elaborate wind-up.

The ‘parking officer’ put up fake illegal parking signs around the car park, before clamping one of the wheels on Rice’s vehicle.



The midfielder eventually exited the building and started to engage in an increasingly ridiculous verbal exchange with the officer.

With Noble instructing the officer via a hidden earpiece, the deception rumbled on until the arrival of a tow truck took things up to a whole new level.

Noble eventually revealed himself, sparking much hilarity amongst everyone involved. Rice took the joke well, but it would be a major surprise if he didn’t try and gain retribution in the near future.