E-Paper
‘Do you need a son-in-law?’: Liverpool icon's birthday wish for daughter turns into a proposal thread
Neil Mellor's birthday tribute to his daughter Nicole turned into a playful proposal thread, with fans humorously offering themselves as suitors.
Former Liverpool Striker Neil Mellor’s heartfelt 19th birthday wish to his daughter Nicole sparked an unexpected wave of humorous response from football fans. The post ended up amassing 3.7 million views on X.
On October 12, Mellor shared a four-image collage celebrating Nicole’s milestone birthday. "Happy 1️⃣9️⃣🎂 Birthday to my amazing daughter ❤️💃," the Sky Sports and LFCTV broadcaster wrote in the caption.
The hilarious response from the fans
What started as a proud father’s birthday message quickly transformed into an impromptu proposal thread, with fans playfully volunteering themselves as potential suitors for the former footballer’s daughter.
Comments like - “Do you need a son-in-law?”, “Am still single in case you need a son-in-law” started flooding the comment section. The replies continued in this lighthearted vein, with dozens of Liverpool supporters and football fans alike joining in the threat. Till the time of writing, the post has generated 78 comments, 59 retweets, and 2,200 likes, demonstrating the reach of the post.
Who Is Nicole Mellor?
The birthday post highlighted Nicole’s creative pursuits, with the collage emphasising her work in dance and modelling. According to modeling agency listings, Nicole is represented by Nemesis Models in Manchester, where she appears in their youth division portfolio.
Neil Mellor, who is married to Rebecca Mellor and describes himself as “Proud dad of 2” on his Instagram profile, has previously shared family moments with his followers, including a viral 2020 video where the Mellor family recreated his famous assist to Steven Gerrard against Olympiacos.
Neil Mellor: The hero of two Anfield legends
For those unfamiliar with Neil Mellor, he holds a special place in Liverpool folklore. Although his career was curtailed by persistent knee injuries and did not stand the test of time, Mellor lives in the memories of the LFC fans. Born on November 4, 1982, the Sheffield-born striker came through Liverpool’s academy and etched his name into Anfield history with two unforgettable moments during the 2004-05 season.
In November 2004, with Liverpool and Arsenal locked at 1-1 in stoppage time, Mellor unleashed a spectacular 30-yard volley that flew past Jens Lehmann, securing a dramatic 2-1 victory. The goal remains a fan-favourite to date, even two decades later.
Ten days later came his defining contribution to Liverpool’s historic Champions League campaign. With the Reds needing to beat Olympiacos by two goals to progress to the knockout stages, Mellor came off the bench to score before providing the famous header for Steven Gerrard’s thunderous volley, a moment immortalized by commentator Andy Gray’s iconic, “WHAT A HIT SON, WHAT A HIT,” call.
Those contributions proved crucial as Liverpool went on to win their fifth European Cup in Istanbul, though Mellor missed the knockout stages due to knee surgery.
After loan spells at West Ham and Wigan, Mellor joined Preston North End in 2006 for approximately €1.5 million. Injuries continued to plague his career, and in December 2011, a tackle by Milton Keynes striker Jabo Ibehre resulted in a career-ending knee injury. Mellor officially announced his retirement in 2012 at just 29 years old.
