SUMMARY
- Diving in soccer is an action where players try to deliberately fall on the ground in order to gain an undue advantage.
- Diving is often looked down upon by several soccer players, coaches, pundits, and fans alike.
Rightly named ‘jogo bonito’ or ‘the beautiful game’, soccer is one of the most popular sports in the world. According to reports, soccer has an estimated global following of 4 billion people and has 1.5 billion more followers than cricket, the next sport on the list. Billions of people tune in to follow their favorite soccer stars and take on the field in some of the most prestigious tournaments, like the World Cup or the Champions League.
However, like almost everything in the world, soccer also has two sides. On the one hand, we have the beautiful moments that are celebrated by the fans. On the other hand, there are some aspects that often tend to sully the beauty of the sport, like diving. In soccer, diving is an attempt by a player to gain an undue advantage by falling to the ground, often pretending to be injured, and trying to win a free kick or penalty.
Neymar spent close to 14 minutes on the ground during Russia 2018. Now, a new challenge has hit the internet. Football fans dive and roll dramatically to troll the Brazilian. #NeymarChallenge pic.twitter.com/HlWe5W6pqN
— TRT World (@trtworld) July 9, 2018
While several players attempt to dive during the games to influence the referee’s decision, the act of diving is often looked down upon. Despite strict rules brought in by the governing bodies to punish players who attempt to dive, it hasn’t been successful in eradicating diving. Although players may argue that it is a harmless act, diving has often drastically, and quite unfairly, changed the results of several major games. Let’s take a look at some of those.
Arjen Robben’s dive in the 2014 World Cup round of 16
In the 2014 World Cup held in Brazil, the Netherlands faced Mexico in the round of 16. Despite being the underdogs, Mexico grabbed the lead in the 48th minute thanks to Giovani dos Santos’ goal. The Dutch, who had been the runners-up of the 2010 World Cup, were all but out when their talismanic forward Wesley Sneijder scored the equalizer in the 88th minute.
Arjen Robben’s dive vs Mexico in the 2014 WC pic.twitter.com/oCbywxUSkt
— Adan Ornelas (@RealOrnelasAdan) January 19, 2018
Despite the late drama, there was still hope for the Mexicans, who hadn’t reached the quarterfinals of a World Cup since 1986. However, deep into the injury time, the match official gave a rather controversial penalty to the Dutch after Arjen Robben went down in the box after very slight contact with Mexican defender Rafa Marquez. Klaas-Jan Huntelaar made no mistake from the spot, as he scored the winner and broke the Mexicans’ hearts.
Raheem Sterling’s controversial dive sent England into their first Euros final
While Arjen Robben’s penalty call might still be excused, Raheem Sterling’s dive was certainly inexcusable, especially in the era of video assistant referees (VAR). Back in 2021, England faced Denmark in the semifinals of Euro 2020. In what was an end-to-end game, Denmark’s Mikkel Damsgaard grabbed the early lead. However, the lead lasted only for nine minutes after Danish skipper Simon Kjær’s own goal equalized the game.
What if Sterling never made this horrendous dive in the Euro 2020 semi-final? https://t.co/pJ3Rt2UcdW pic.twitter.com/LiGgtyY3E2
— Sebastian 🇩🇰 (@sebastiansgade) March 13, 2024
With neither team being able to break the deadlock, the game went to extra time. In the 104th minute, England’s Raheem Sterling was deemed to be brought down in the box by Joakim Maehle. Despite vehement protests from the Danish players, the VAR refused to overturn the decision. Consequently, English skipper Harry Kane stepped up to take the penalty, which was saved by Kasper Schmeichel, with Kane scoring on the rebound.
Diego Simeone’s dive broke David Beckham and England’s hearts at the 1998 World Cup
England and Argentina played one of the most controversial games in World Cup history when the two nations met in the round of 16 of the 1998 World Cup. England, who was touted as one of the favorites, had the likes of David Beckham, Alan Shearer, Michael Owen, and so on in their arsenal. However, the course of the game changed drastically in the sixth minute of the game.
After Argentine skipper Diego Simeone had fouled Beckham, the former Manchester United star kicked at the Argentine‘s shin. Despite the contact being rather soft, Simeone fell to the ground dramatically. Simeone’s antics successfully influenced the referee’s decision to send off Beckham. Ultimately, Argentina ended up winning the game on penalties, with Beckham shouldering the majority of the blame for England’s exit.
Luis Suarez and Neymar Jr’s dive against PSG helped FC Barcelona complete a historic comeback
Back in 2017, FC Barcelona faced PSG in the round of 16 of the Champions League. In the first leg held in Paris, PSG thrashed a helpless FC Barcelona 4-0, and their progression to the quarterfinal seemed nothing but a formality. However, the Parisians were in for a nightmare as they reached Camp Nou for the return leg. The Spaniards grabbed the early goal, with Luis Suarez scoring in the third minute.
With PSG’s Layvin Kurzawa giving FC Barcelona more breathing space, the match official gave FC Barcelona a rather controversial penalty. In the 50th minute, Luis Suarez tried to latch on to a through ball inside the PSG box, with defender Marquinhos pursuing the Uruguayan striker. Suarez, hoping to get something out of nothing, fell comically to the ground, with the referee subsequently awarding the Catalans a penalty.
Lionel Messi made no mistake and converted from the spot. However, FC Barcelona’s comeback was temporarily halted, with Edinson Cavani scoring a crucial away goal for PSG. However, with FC Barcelona still needing two goals in the 91st minute, Neymar Jr. was deemed to be fouled by PSG full-back Thomas Meunier. The Belgian defender tripped onto the ground and unknowingly brought down FC Barcelona’s Neymar Jr.
An iconic moment đź’«#UCLdraw pic.twitter.com/uIdTKbCD5l
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) March 15, 2024
The penalty call was the boost that FC Barcelona needed. Neymar scored from the spot, and with only a few seconds to go, he assisted Sergio Roberto for the winner. While that night is fondly remembered by almost every FC Barcelona supporter as the club marked one of the most iconic Champions League comebacks, it still haunts the PSG supporters and players.
Honorable mention- Former Manchester United coach Louis van Gaal’s dive
While soccer players diving during games is a common sight, it’s only once in a blue moon do we get to see managers diving during games. One such incident occurred a few years ago when the veteran Dutch coach Louis van Gaal fell on the ground just near the touchline. Van Gaal, who was in charge of Manchester United back then, was spotted protesting with the fourth referee, Mike Dean, over a particular decision.
Sometimes, you’ve just got to love Louis van Gaal. pic.twitter.com/ybN8nqccCA
— Squawka (@Squawka) February 28, 2016
Despite Van Gaal’s furious protests, Dean appeared to be unaffected. Unable to sway the English official, Van Gaal abruptly fell to the ground, glaring at Mike Dean. To this date, it remains unclear what Van Gaal was trying to do. Nevertheless, the incident has gone viral all over social media platforms, and even today it continues to haunt the 72-year-old manager.
Jurgen Klinsmann’s dive gave Germany their third World Cup title
The 1990 World Cup final is widely regarded as one of the worst World Cup finals in the history of soccer. England, winners of the 1966 World Cup, faced the defending champions, Argentina, led by Diego Maradona. However, the game was marred by some reckless challenges that led to two Argentine players being shown a red card.
Pedro Monzon was the first one to get sent off in the 65th minute, as he also became the first player to be shown a red card in a World Cup final. However, many people believe that while Monzon’s foul on Jurgen Klinsmann was reckless, he didn’t deserve to be sent off. Nevertheless, Klinsmann’s dive worked, with Germany scoring the solitary goal in the 85th minute.