Just for fun in light of the recent controversy who would you say was/is the poorest diver in the epl in recent memory. For me its a toss up between caroll and (hate to admit it) eboue though caroll might just edge it. For habitual i would go for drogba.
Best diver? It is close but it is between these two for sure: [video=youtube;ENiYr4eG0xo]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENiYr4eG0xo&feature=related[/video]
busquets may also be a contender for habitual though hes not it eh pl...he wouldnt last a day at the rate he goes down to be honest
Bale,Suarez,Drogba,Young, there has been loads but for me the biggest diver has to be probably arguably the best player to play in the premier league in the last decade .... Cristiano Ronaldo, he was quality but lets not forget the fact he used to dive a hell of a lot consistently. Drogba is a close 2nd as he use to be a consistent diver but he has seem to got out of the habit of diving that much these days and apart from the napoli game i can't recall a drogba dive for some years. Outside the EPL, take your pick of the Barca players, apart from the big 4 ( Messi,Xavi,Iniesta,Fabregas ) they're all a bunch of big cheating divers
First of all, fair is fair we need to give a mention to one of our own, Eboue was one of the worst divers ever, not numerically but performance-wise. He was so bad even we, the Arsenal fans, had a hard time defending him. I would have said Bale, Suarez and Rooney were the worst, but Rooney seems to have slacked off, and Young is making a late challenge. Unfortunatelly the acadamy may have forgotten his performances, by the time the oscars come round again next year. PS. Drogba does deserve a mention, simply because he is such a big strong chap that would barrel though a defence scattering them like skittles one minute, and then go down like a <insert favourite hooker joke here> the next.
Eboue's antics was annoying as hell. He would normally stay on the ground after very little contact and it used to piss me off, because it disrupts our tempo and wastes time. Thankfully, we do not have players like that around anymore.
No particular order: Didier Drogba Steven Gerrard Cristiano Ronaldo Fernando Torres I haven't seen many dives of these three players recently. Especially Cristiano Ronaldo should be picked out because in all the antics in the recent Clasicos, Ronaldo is one of the few players who doesn't engage in unsporting behaviour such as diving and play-acting. He has changed a lot IMO. He was just that type of player who used to get tackled quite often, so must have been some sort of reflex just to go down when he was younger. Worst divers/cheats among current PL players: Wayne Rooney (nothing has to be added on, how many penalties has shrek won against us after diving?) Ashley Young Nani Luis Suarez Gareth Bale Surprisingly only Luis Suarez is clearly labelled as a diver by the media. The others are either overhyped British media darlings (Bale) or they play for Man Utd, which is why they never face any sort of criticism. And I also remember a hilarious dive by Morten Gamst Pedersen, but I'm not sure if he is a seasoned diver such as the above mentioned because I don't watch enough Blackburn games to judge it. [video=youtube;ICPyr0q0doY]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICPyr0q0doY[/video] Nathan Dyer of Swansea is another player the referees should take a closer look at, goes down very easily. Andy Carroll's dive at Newcastle was disgraceful, too. But I don't see him as someone who dives regularly.
Suarez Grant Holt Young Sturridge Drogba Whole Barcelona team Nathan Dyer as said (tbh i just think he's a prick so am a bit biased) you've definitely had a few in the last few years but at the moment you're alright
grant holt a diver, never heard of that though i've hardly seen him play. As much as we criticise liverpool though its strange suarez bears the brunt of public outcry whereas there have been players far worse. Somehow suarez and our own divers come for a lot more stick (specially eduardo can't forget what happen to him after the infamous incident.)
Ronaldo was always the worst, but Jurgen Klinsman had a few didn't he? Alves, Busquets and Pedro made me hate Barcelona. Also the way they surround the referee is just as disgusting as their diving. Ashley Young has to be the worst current diver. It seems he dives for at least 5 pens per season, probably more.
Read somewhere hes won the most penalties over the last two years. Never really comes in for criticism though. Evrythjng taken into account the eduardo witch hint was a disgrace.
Article in the Guardian says Ashley Young has won 8 penalties this season. Next is Suarez with 5 then Walcott with 4. Ray Wilkins says Young might get a reputation as a diver. I think he already has one.
I don't know who the worst is out there though as Mr A-gun pointed out, the Guardian has some interesting stats. What really annoys me is when occasionally some program points to Eduardo as though to single him out as a habitual offender which he most certainly isn't.
Yes but Eduardo is a dirty foreigner that played for Arsenal - not like the good foreigners that play for Utd. The reason I place Gerrard and Rooney as the biggest cheats in world football is because they blatantly dive and then have the audacity to criticise "foreigners" for diving, even claiming they would never act like these foreigners. Utterly despicable.
Not the best examples IMO. The one by Pepe was a potential leg-breaker if his foot was on the ground, Alves had the sense to pull his leg out somewhat. Should he break his leg to make it more believable? It was a very dangerous challenge. Pepe might not have gotten a straight red if he didn't exaggerate that much, but doesn't change the fact that it was a dangerous challenge.
