The 2009 Alberto Gilardino Award

This year, I award it to Kyle Lafferty, Northern Irish international and Glasgow Rangers forward, for his bit of play acting in the recent Aberdeen - Rangers match. He did that gross forehead to forehead pushing thing, with Charlie Mulgrew, that soccer players do in lieu of actually using their fists and then - poof! - he went down like a sniper in the stands put one right between his eyes. I'd show you the video but the Scottish Premier League, as part of their continuing effort to prevent its product from being easily accessible to the masses, has had all traces of the video removed from the web. To his credit, Lafferty has admitted he took a dive and has stated that he is completely embarrassed by his actions. But the dive still happened and so he gets the Gilardino Award.

The award is named in honor of Fiorentina forward Alberto Gilardino's infamous dive against Celtic (also from Glsgow, and Rangers mortal enemy).

Ronaldo Dives Again

Finally, I got a sporting prediction correct this weekend! Cristiano Ronaldo came on as a sub in the United-Chelsea mega clash (a 1-1 draw) and almost immediately took a dive. Frank Lampard came a bit too close to the Portugese fair play activist - within 3 feet or so - and Ronaldo then hit the deck after it appeared he was hit by a sniper round or had stepped on a landmine. I shouldn't even call it a dive because it was so much more than that. So incredible in fact that even Alberto Gilardino would be hard pressed to match its technique.