Spontaneous Mancunians ditch their plans for once-in-a-life footie match against United legends

This morning, together with football YouTube icon PieFace, Fireball took to the streets of 0161 to challenge the unsuspecting public on their daily commute to drop their plans for the day and join a once-in-a-lifetime 5-a-side match. Their opponents? None other than Gary Neville, Nicky Butt and Paul Scholes of the iconic Class of 92, who also happen to own Salford City FC, of which Fireball is a front-of-shirt-sponsor.

Every casual footie player knows the struggle of 5-a-side football - your mate bails last minute, and suddenly you're roping in your girlfriend’s sister’s boyfriend just to make up the numbers on a cold, rainy night in Stoke. But not this time. Fireball, the ultimate instigator of mischief - wasn’t having any no-shows. Instead, the #1shot brand in the USA pulled off the impossible - recruiting a squad of strangers-turned-teammates in just one hour, kitting them out, and plonking them straight into the game on a roof side pitch overlooking Old Trafford. Their opponents? Some of the biggest winners the game has ever seen.

No pre-planning, no excuses - carnage guaranteed. After a few well-timed fake coughs and Oscar-worthy calls to unsuspecting bosses, it was time for some football mischief. There were nutmegs on G Nev, slide tackles on Scholesy and even some half time shots to get the juices flowing.

Local lad Harun is set to run the Paris marathon next week, but he had no problems donning his kit and getting stuck in. George, lifelong Arsenal fan, called up his boss on the spot, asking for a day off to have a first-hand feel of that fiery 90s rivalry. Joe thought he was too late, sprinting back to the group after getting the green light from his manager, only to find out the five had been selected. But Joe became the Fireball super sub.

Speaking on the challenge, Lorenzo Faronato said: “At Fireball, we strive to offer experiences that live in the memory, with something unexpectedly fun at every turn. The 5-a-side squad had never met before, but now they always have that day they said yes when everyone else was saying no and had a Fireball-fuelled football fiesta.

Star player Nicky Butt said: "People in Manchester love football, and it’s always great to have a kickabout with anyone at any time, so it’s quite funny that they would ditch work for the morning to come and get involved.”

Life gets in the way all too often. Today, the tables were turned and five people chose to live in the moment for an unforgettable experience, Fireball style. Not your standard Thursday morning, right?