Top 10 Funny Moments In Footballing History

August 20th, 2009

After a bit of banter amongst the lads over history’s funniest football moments, I decided, just for a laugh, to collect my thoughts into a blog in a countdown of my funniest moments. So here goes! …

In at no. 10…

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…Once again serial prankster Karl Power gets in on the act. In his latest stunt, he is pictured alongside the Manchester United team before the Champions League Quarter Final clash in Munich against Bayern in 2001, despite being in no way part of the team! He pretending to be with a TV crew in order to evade security, then strolled out onto the pitch and was captured in photographs standing casually next to Andy Cole before proceeding to make his way into the stand to watch the game… It wasn’t until the photographers were sifting through the night’s photos after the game that they realised they didn’t recognise one of the players!

No. 9…

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…Being the even cheeky chappy he is, Gazza pretended to show the ref a yellow card after he had dropped the card on the floor whilst playing for Glasgow Rangers. The ref obviously lacked a sense of humour and in turn booked Gazza, which was a very harsh gesture, especially as Gazza was only joking and was in fact doing him a favour by returning the card! Watch the antic here.

No. 8…

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…Despite his extraordinary skills as a football player, Rivaldo showed himself up in the Far East in the 2002 World Cup for all the wrong reasons. During the match, Turkish player Hakan Unsal kicked the ball towards Rivaldo who was waiting to take a corner, and instead of catching or controlling the ball, he allowed it to hit him on the thigh and then promptly fell to the floor and ‘instinctively’ clutched his face. His reaction had the desired effect, and Unsal was sent off, Rivaldo earned himself a hefty fine after the incident was later reviewed by officials and it was decided that his actions were unnecessary. Undoubtedly Rivaldo was a great player, and there was no need for acting in such a way. His actions here were shocking to say the least, and he will have lost a lot of respect from fans as a result of it. All the same, it was extremely funny to watch at the same time. View the incident here

No. 7…

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… Ref Paul Alcock sends off Paulo Di Canio whilst playing for Sheffield Wednesday against Arsenal, but instead of leaving the pitch, Di Canio becomes angry and pushes the poor ref to the ground! In an attempt to stay on his feet, Alcock stumbles over comically! Now I know I shouldn’t laugh at such an incident, but I challenge you to keep a straight face when you see the video here!

No. 6…

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…It was during the opening of USA ‘94 that Diana Ross made her indelible, comical mark on the game we love so much. She was performing during a ceremony, and as the grand finale to her act had the simple task of kicking a ball into a net from just 6 yards out. It was planned that the keeper would dive out of the way and allow Ross to easily hit the net, which would in turn cause the goal to split into two halves as part of the ‘rippling’ effect. Sorted, right? Well, it seemed so, but things didn’t quite go to plan… Step up Diana Ross; superstar, singer, and ‘soccer’ extraordinaire! See what actually happened here.

No.5…

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…I present to you Ronnie Rosenthal, the creator of the original missed sitter! Simply a work of footballing artistry, I bet he couldn’t do this again if he tried! View it in all of its glory here.

No. 4…

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…David Dunn tries and fails at going all ‘Copacabana’ on us. Miserably. And in a Birmingham Derby none the less! What must have he been thinking?! Watch him end up on his a*** here!

No. 3…

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…We’re moving towards the business end of proceedings now as we enter into the top 3. Steven Taylor provides the entertainment here. He saves the ball on the line with his hand (even though he’s a defender!), but then goes down like he’s been shot in order to make the ref think he’s been struck legitimately by the ball on the body.  The ref’s having none of it and sends him off! Watch it here.

No. 2…

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…The funniest own goal of all time. Pure genius! Scored by Chris Brass when he played for Bury against Darlington. Watch it here.

As the countdown draws to an end…

*Drum roll, please*

I present to you my all time no. 1 funny footy moment.

I’m sure you’ll agree it’s a worthy winner.

(I hope you like it!!)

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…I give to you Ilunga Mwepu, comic mastermind!  Enhanced by the fine workings of Skinner and Baddiel’s legendary ‘Fantasy Football’ programme…  Enjoy it in all of its glory here!

By Ben Charlton