Michael Jordan and Liverpool duo left kids devastated – top never-meet-your-heroes moments

Some say you should never meet your heroes, and on the odd occasion they are absolutely right.

A number of incidents in various sporting arenas, which should have been wholesome on paper but went in an unexpected direction, have gone down in infamy.

Here, Express Sport takes you through four standout moments featuring basketball legend Michael Jordan and football heroes David James, Michael Owen and Joe Hart…

‘F*** them kids’

Young basketball hopefuls at a summer camp watched on in amazement in 2016, when they were presented with basketball GOAT Michael Jordan and NBA legend Chris Paul.

Their excitement levels will have raised even further when it was put to the kids, in a bet made between Jordan and Paul, that MJ would have to give everyone in the camp a free pair of Jordan trainers if he missed a shot.

With a net worth in the billions and Jordan naturally playing a huge role in the Nike brand of trainers which bears his name, the youngsters may have expected to be quids in. But Jordan ruthlessly drained all six of his shots, even with Paul covering his eyes for the last attempt, giving rise to the meme ‘F*** them kids’.

Liverpool duo take it too far

There must be something in the water at Anfield. David James made headlines recently for saving two penalties from a bright-eyed 11-year-old at the half-time break when Liverpool hosted Chelsea last weekend.

He was heard saying to a member of the crowd behind the goal: “Seriously? Save it?” before springing to his left and stopping the sweetly-struck spot-kick. James got up and gave the youngster another chance, only to save the next penalty with his feet, sparking boos from the crowd.

Fellow Reds hero Michael Owen set the tone in the 1990s during his VHS release, Michael Owen’s Soccer Skills.

During filming, the former England striker smashes volleys past a helpless 13-year-old goalkeeper named Jamie while saying: “I just love volleying. Poor old Jamie has no chance.” In another exercise, he curled an effort past Jamie from the edge of the box and said ‘get in there’, to which nearby goalkeeping legend Neville Southall famously responded: “Well done, he’s 13.”

Kahn bursts bubble

Back in 2008, the same year Germany and Bayern Munich legend Kahn put down his goalkeeper gloves, he took part in a charity shootout in which German school children would take penalties against him, and every spot-kick scored would result in money being donated to charity.

Ever the competitor, and perhaps not embracing the spirit of the occasion, Kahn saved every single one.

Hart takes offence

Another don’t-meet-your-heroes incident involving yet another goalkeeper, Hart is said to have taken issue with a nine-year-old during a charity shootout. The kid taunted former Manchester City, West Ham and Celtic stopper Hart about playing for a bad team, and he is said to have responded by booting his ball out of the stadium.