Birmingham city star Olivier Kapo gives Mercedes to young footballer

May 14 2008 By James Cartledge

A CHEEKY young footballer who asked Birmingham City star Olivier Kapo for an end-of-season souvenir was gobsmacked to be handed his £30,000 Mercedes.

Aspiring Blues striker James McPike earns £300-a-week and expected to be offered a pair of boots or football kit by the French midfielder.

But instead the 20-year-old, from Kings Norton, was tossed the keys to Kapo’s S320 and told to keep it over the summer.

The millionaire player even put James on his own insurance so he could afford to legally drive it. Now the youngster’s only problem is finding the cash to keep it topped up with petrol.

"I can’t fill it up," he said. "I’m putting in about £25-a-time but it only fills a quarter of the tank.

"The car is beautiful, it’s like being on an aeroplane.

"Everybody was asking the first teamers for boots but I joked with a friend that I would ask Kapo for his car.

"He said ’Alright then’. I thought he was joking but he handed me the keys after training.

"I was stunned but I drove him home because he didn’t have a car and that was it.

"Kapo is a bit of a nutcase but he’s a really top bloke. He’s a generous guy, all the first team lads are."

James, who usually drives a Fiat Punto, said he was unsure whether he would be allowed to keep the Mercedes when Kapo returned to the club after the summer break. The player’s future may be uncertain after Blues were relegated from the Premier League on the last day of the season on Sunday.

James, a fourth-year professional, has just been handed a 12-month contract extension after suffering a shoulder injury last season.

He will be joined at Blues next season by his brother, midfielder Mitch McPike, and stepbrother, centre-half Daniel Preston.

The pair, both aged 16, have been taken on as apprentices.

Blues’ youth academy manager Terry Westley said he was confident James would take the unexpected gift in his stride.

"James is a very hard worker and a good student," he said. "I think his dad is enjoying driving the car."