Features

Football's worst play-actors

Author: Lynda Collins
Date: 03/11/2009
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Herita Ilunga earned the wrath of Sunderland this weekend after his theatrical response to a shove from Kenwyne Jones resulted in a red card for the Black Cats striker.

Jones pushed Ilunga in the chest but the West Ham defender fell to the ground clutching his face.

West Ham's medical staff then compounded the whole farcical situation by administering treatment to a non-existent facial injury.

"I would have smacked my kids' backsides if they had have done anything like that when they were playing football," fumed Sunderland boss Steve Bruce.

However, Ilunga is not alone when it comes to footballers faking injury in order for their team to gain an advantage.

Rivaldo, Brazil v Turkey 2002 World Cup

He might have been a world player of the year but missed out on an Oscar in 2002 despite his fine performance in a group stage match against Turkey.

Rivaldo was struck on the thigh by a ball booted in his direction from Hakan Unsal while waiting to take a corner only to fall to the floor clutching his face.

Unsal was sent off and Rivaldo was fined £5,000. However, sportsbook favourites Brazil did go on to win the tournament.

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Robert Rojas, Chile v Brazil, World Cup qualifying 1989

Chile were on the verge of being eliminated when Rojas claimed to have been hit in the face by a flare thrown from the stands.

The goalkeeper looked to have won after cutting his own face and seeing the game abandoned by the referee.

However, television cameras later caught him taking a razor blade to his own eyebrow and he was handed a lifetime ban from football.

Jurgen Klinsmann, Germany v Argentina 1990 World Cup Final

Klinsmann was dogged by a diving tag during his successful career with the origins dating back to his antics in the World Cup Final.

His theatrical swan dive led and triple pike follow through reaction led to Pedro Monzon 65th minute red card and Germany's 1-0 victory over Argentina in Rome.

Slaven Bilic, Croatia v France 1998 World Cup

Bilic is still reviled in France for his reaction which prevented Blanc from playing in the biggest game of his life.

The Croatia defender fell to the ground after being brushed in the face by his opposite number while jostling for position at a corner.

Blanc went on to miss his country's finest hour - their 3-0 victory over Brazil in Paris.

Jens Lehmann and Didier Drogba, Arsenal v Chelsea 2006

Lehmann pushed Drogba who fell to the ground in trademark theatrical fashion during a Premier League game at Stamford Bridge,

However, the real pantomime came when the famously unsteady Drogba ran up and confronted the Arsenal goalkeeper who jolted backwards on to the turf as if hit by hurricane force winds.

It's hard to say whose reaction was the most foolish.

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