Burst Baw: Henry's not the first . . . The most famous cheats in football

Published on Thursday 1 October 2009 13:42

THIERRY Henry's blatant handball that sent France on the way to next year's World Cup at the expense of Ireland has sparked a huge row in the international game.

But of course the Barcelona striker is not the first to have profited greatly from conning the referee.

Here we run through a rogue's gallery of the good, the bad and the downright shameful.

MARADONA'S HAND OF GOD, WORLD CUP 1986

This one's controversial. While some would claim that little Diego deliberately punched the ball over Peter Shilton's head to send Argentina on the way to the World Cup semi-final, another nation claimed it was an optical illusion, a moment of daring, even an act of God. Argentina were quite happy too.

Maradona later said, "I was waiting for my teammates to embrace me, and no one came... I told them, 'Come hug me, or the referee isn't going to allow it.'"

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KLINSMANN'S SALMON IMPRESSION, WORLD CUP 1990

No compilation of play-acting would be complete without good old Jurgen. He may have mocked his reputation later in his career with the famous sliding goal celebrations for Spurs, but back in 1990 his dive in the World Cup final was a shocking yet magnificent piece of fakery.

Not only did Klinsmann perform a spritely leap over an admittedly dangerous sliding tackle, he also threw in a gymnastic spasm on impact with the grass. Result: Argentina down to ten men, Germany go on to win 1 - 0.

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In pictures: Ireland cries foul over the 'Hand of Frog'

RIVALDO'S CONFUSED COLLAPSE, WORLD CUP 2002

Brazil playmaker Rivaldo may have been one of the great midfielders of recent times, but this case of melodramatic acting will undoubtedly taint his legacy.

In a World Cup match against Turkey, Rivaldo was at the corner flag when the ball was kicked at his leg, prompting the Brazilian to clutch his face and fall down dramatically. The offending Turkish player was red-carded but video evidence later earned Rivaldo a fine of 5,180.

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LAFFERTY'S HIGHLY SENSITIVE FOREHEAD, 2009

Footballers squaring up to each other is hardly an uncommon sight in the modern game, so it was curious as to why Rangers striker Kyle Lafferty chose one such moment to collapse to the ground.

It was an off-the-ball tussle with Aberdeen's Charlie Mulgrew, and the slightest brush of foreheads, which led to Lafferty falling to the floor like a Vietnamese extra in Rambo.

A wink after the incident didn't do the player any favours and he was later fined by his club and suspended by the SFA.

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EDUARDO VS BORUC, 2009

Arsenal's naturalised Croatia hitman Eduardo didn't endear himself to anyone when he was felled by thin air in the Champions League qualifier against Celtic last month, going down easily as Artur Boruc held back from the challenge.

It earned a penalty which the cocky striker scored himself, sending the Gunners on their way to the lucrative group stage.

After analysing the footage Uefa imposed a three-match ban on the player, but rescinded it on appeal.

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