As we know only too well, even the most studiously planned jokes aren't always guaranteed to hit the mark and deliver the level of laughs you hoped for.
Swedish journalist Ludvig Holmberg found that out to his cost when he attempted to prank the Germany players at their World Cup training camp in Vatutinki.
With the Germans losing to Mexico in their opening game and set to face Sweden in their second, Holmberg tried to rib Sami Khedira by offering him and his teammates an early plane ticket home.
Bra stämning ändå! https://t.co/COkFv9CDiU
— Ludvig Holmberg (@LudvigHolmberg) June 21, 2018
However, Khedira was more than ready for the ruse and simply politely declined the boarding pass, replying "Thank you, but we won't need them. We think we can win this game".
"Maybe you'll need them after the game instead?" asked Holmberg.
"I think we'll need them on the 16th July (the day after the World Cup final)", came the sharp retort from Khedira once again.
Ouch. We think it's fair to say that that one fell a little bit flat.