Heroic West Ham supporter Knollsy has been immortalised as a WWE action figure after fighting off AZ Alkmaar ultras.
Chris Knoll went viral after footage emerged of him fighting off Dutch hooligans following the Hammers’ Europa Conference League semi-final victory over AZ. After the second leg, the ultras targeted an area of the stadium containing family and friends of the players, only to be fended off by the 58-year-old father-of-four.
Knollsy’ has been dubbed the ‘The Angel of Alkmaar’ for his bravery, with the man himself declaring, “I don’t like bullies”, following the incident. Knoll has quickly earned legendary status among Hammers supporters, to such an extent that a one-off action figure has been created in his honour.
READ MORE: West Ham legend Knollsy given standing ovation and fans chant name ahead of Leeds match
The figure has been made available on eBay, with the seller writing: “Knollsy custom figure. I was inspired to make this custom-made and handpainted figure with unique matching packaging. It took approx 28hrs to complete and will look great on display. It is a complete one off…”
There is plenty of interest in the figure, which comes complete in specially-made packaging. At the time of writing it has attracted 40 bids, with the highest standing at £335.99. Bidding ends on Thursday, May 24 (5.05pm).
Knoll, sporting a black eye, attended Sunday’s Premier League game against Leeds United at the London Stadium and was given a standing ovation by fans.
A second added: “Knollsy has just received a standing ovation on his way to his seat to the right of the press box.”
Talking about the incident that made him a hero, Knoll told the Daily Mail: “We realised that the AZ Alkmaar ultras were intent on trouble (and) we could see them coming down the side of the pitch.
“Quite a lot of them, they looked like little ants running towards us. All in their black hoodies and things like that.”
Leave a Reply