Football fans will be having flashbacks to Antonio Rudiger's bizarre running technique at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar - after Oldham forward Mike Fondop adopted a similar technique during his side's win over Barnet. <br /><br />Real Madrid defender Rudiger went viral for his unorthodox style as he leapt forwards with high knees while shielding the ball away from Takuma Asano during Germany's 2-1 loss to Japan. <br /><br />The former Chelsea defender received plenty of stick for adopting the unusual running style as pundits claim he was 'trying to mug the opposition off' while ex- Germany star Didi Hamann blasted him as 'out of order' and 'arrogant'. <br /><br />It ended up backfiring as Germany was shocked by the Japanese before being dumped out of the tournament in the group stages - but Fondop was showered in praise by fans for adopting a similar technique in midweek. <br /><br />Fondop scored in the comfortable win for the Latics at The Hive - making it 2-0 in the second half with half an hour to play, but around ten minutes later his antics brought a smile to the face of Oldham fans.<br /><br />Barnet had just pulled one back to make it 2-1 through Harry Pritchard's penalty when Oldham pinged a long ball over the top to send Fondop on his way down the left-hand side. <br /><br />As he raced onto the loose ball and with a Barnet defender speeding back to attempt an interception, Fondup began charging forwards with high knees, lifting his legs higher and higher in an attempt to put his marker off. <br /><br />After the game, Fondop was asked by a friend on Instagram to explain his running stance.<br /><br />Fondop replied: 'The track runner technique bro. Scares the defender and go faster.' <br /><br />Fans were loving Fondop's moment of flamboyance as they reveled in the moment on social media. <br /><br />Writing on X, one supporter wrote: 'Oldham's number 9 ladies and gentlemen, Mr Mike Fondop,' alongside some laughing emojis.<br /><br />Another said he was 'galloping like a mighty stead' while one jokingly asked: 'When's the statue going up?' <br /><br />'Quality running there from big Mikey,' read another post. <br /><br />Fondop has been with Oldham since January 2022 and has scored 16 goal in 52 appearances with the club. <br /><br />He scored 13 times in 40 outings last season and his strike against Barnet was his first of this campaign.
