New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. adorns some flashy Kirby cleats while playing against the Baltimore Ravens, causing some unexpected cleat controversy.

Gamers watching the New York Giants take on the Baltimore Ravens yesterday may have seen witnessed the unexpected appearance of a certain pink Nintendo protagonist, though not in the way one would expect - then again, how does one expect a Nintendo character to show up during an NFL game?

The character who made a surprise appearance is none other than Kirby, the lovable pink ball who has starred in several different Nintendo titles and has a game series of his own. New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. must be a fan, because he wore a pair of dashing Kirby-themed cleats for the duration of the game at MetLife Stadium.

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Kirby's superpower is his ability to adapt to his surroundings, and it seems like Odell embodied that sentiment last night. The wide receiver picked up an incredible 222 yards against the Ravens (a career best for the Madden 16 cover athlete) and hauled in two big touchdowns to help the Giants win 27-23.

Unlike in soccer, wearing flashy cleats is against regulations in the NFL, so it's likely that Beckham will receive a fine for his Kirby cleats. Houston Texas wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins was fined $6,000 a few weeks ago for wearing some cleats designed by Kanye West, and a similar price tag will likely come affixed for Beckham's rule breaking cleats - which is why Odell posted to Instagram that he hopes the fines aren't crazy. The wide receiver rakes in a few million dollars a year for his services, so we think he can handle a one-time fine of a few thousand.

While this is probably the best case of a real-life Kirby gamers can hope to see in the wild, one doesn't have to tune into ESPN to get their Kirby fix. The intrepid inhaler recently jumped into a new platforming mechanic with Kirby: Planet Robobot, and those simply looking for a football fix can still hop onto Madden NFL 17. The latest annual entrant to the franchise may not have pushed many boundaries, but we can always dream of Kirby cleat DLC.

Odell may no longer be the cover athlete of the Madden franchise, but he won a space in our hearts with those apparently-superpowered pink Kirby cleats. The fact that they're adorned with stars and trees from the game is a great touch, so kudos to the K_O brand for crafting up such memorable footwear.

Gamers interested in taking a look at the brand's other cleats can do so here.

What do you think about Odell Beckham Jr.'s Kirby cleats?

Source: GameSpot