EVERY player dives. Every single one. It may not be to win a penalty or get an opponent sent off, but there isn’t a pro out there who hasn’t tried to con the ref.
My favourite trick? When a ball went down the channel, I’d run back towards it, then put my body between the ball and the player. The moment I felt him touch my back, however gently, I’d fall on my face. It worked every time, and it used to drive strikers mad. So was I cheating? No. By putting his hands on me, that striker gave me the option to go down. I was simply using my experience to gain a...