Kostas Tsimikas proved to be Liverpool's unlikely FA Cup final hero at Wembley on Saturday, further aiding the cult status he has among Reds fans.
The 26-year-old left back was introduced in the second half of extra time against Chelsea, replacing a weary Andrew Robertson, but despite his rather brief cameo he stole the headlines after stroking the ball beyond Edouard Mendy to deliver Liverpool's eighth FA Cup success, their first under manager Jurgen Klopp and first since 2006 and the penalty shoot-out success over West Ham United at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.
Tsimikas, despite his role as understudy to Robertson for the past two years and just 31 games played in all competitions since his 2020 move from Olympiacos, has become a fan favourite among the Anfield faithful, proving a dependable deputy when called upon, something which has led Klopp to rely on him more regularly during a campaign fighting for trophies on four fronts.
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His performances have impressed, but so has his character, and that is something that has seen him earn his own chant from the Kop as well as the nickname 'the Greek Scouser', something which he had referred to himself on social media as that was picked up and ran with by Reds fans as a way to show their support for the defender.
"There’s a guy who I train with here, we said it first as a joke because I always tried to speak in a Scouse accent," said Tsimikas back in August.
"One time he said to me after I posted on social media and everyone loved that. I’m very happy with that and also because people love me here and it’s given me the extra power to give everything I have in every single game."
Tsimikas is making sure he covers all bases, though, and he has registered the trademarks 'Greek Scouser' and 'GREEKSCOUSER' as trademarks with the UK Government's Intellectual Property Office. The applications for the trademark were made in October 2021, with the date of entry as a registered trademark occurring on March 25 of this year.
The trademarks, also under ownership of Prosport (Cyprus) Ltd, fall under classes 25, 28, 35 and 41, which covers the use of the trademark on clothes and shoes; video games, football games, sports equipment and sports equipment; business administration and marketing, and sports and educational activities.
Tsimikas isn't the first athlete to register their brand as a trademark, with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo having trademarked his 'CR7' nickname and Jesse Lingard having trademarked his 'JLingz' nickname. Players such as Harry Kane, Lionel Messi and Neymar Jnr have all trademarked their names and logos for marketing purposes, while in the US one of the most high profile cases of an athlete trademarking a nickname was done by Johnny Manziel, a star quarterback in college who had been tipped for NFL greatness only to fail to deliver on his potential, who registered the nickname he had been given in college, 'Johnny Football', as a trademark.
For Liverpool's 'Greek Scouser', it is a move that protects any future marketing endeavours. After his heroic FA Cup winning exploits on Saturday, his cult hero status appears to only grow stronger.
