10 Funniest Comedy Fouls in Football: The Full Ranked List
On this page15
- 01Football's most infamous comedy fouls at a glance
- 02Diego Maradona's Hand of God
- 03Rivaldo's dive vs Turkey
- 04Luis Suarez's goal-line handball
- 05Thierry Henry's Hand of Gaul
- 06Jurgen Klinsmann's somersault
- 07Zidane's headbutt on Materazzi
- 08Ashley Young's 'greatest dive'
- 09Busquets' finger-parting dive
- 10Neymar's 14 minutes down
- 11Luis Fabiano's double handball
- 12How We Ranked Them
- 13Cheating vs Diving vs Pratfall
- 14At a Glance: What Each Foul Changed
- 15How the Rules Try to Catch It
A high placement needs all three: the incident had to be seen and endlessly replayed, it had to change something real (a red card, a disallowed goal, a knockout result), and the gap between the actual contact and the player's reaction had to be absurd. Fame with no consequence ranks below fame plus a red card or an eliminated nation.
Football's most infamous comedy fouls at a glance
| Rank | Incident | Match | Consequence |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maradona's Hand of God | Argentina vs England, 1986 | Goal stood; Argentina advanced |
| 2 | Rivaldo's dive | Brazil vs Turkey, 2002 | Ünsal sent off |
| 3 | Suárez's goal-line handball | Uruguay vs Ghana, 2010 | Red card; Uruguay advanced |
| 4 | Henry's Hand of Gaul | France vs Ireland, 2009 | France qualified for World Cup |
| 5 | Klinsmann's somersault | West Germany vs Argentina, 1990 | Monzón sent off |
| 6 | Zidane's headbutt | France vs Italy, 2006 | Red card in World Cup final |
| 7 | Ashley Young's dive | Man United vs Real Sociedad, 2013 | Penalty awarded and missed |
| 8 | Busquets' peek | Barcelona vs Inter, 2010 | Motta sent off |
| 9 | Neymar's rolling | 2018 World Cup | Nearly 14 minutes down |
| 10 | Luís Fabiano's handballs | Brazil vs Ivory Coast, 2010 | Goal stood |
- The folklore foul
Diego Maradona's Hand of God
No other entry combines this much fame, this much consequence and this much brazen theater. Six minutes into the second half of the 1986 World Cup quarterfinal, Maradona rose alongside England keeper Peter Shilton and punched the ball into the net with his fist, disguised inside the leap. Referee Ali Bin Nasser missed it, the goal stood, and Argentina won 2-1 on their way to the trophy.
What pushes it above Suarez's handball at No. 3 is the line that followed: Maradona said the goal came "a little with the head of Maradona and a little with the hand of God." Four minutes later he scored the Goal of the Century in the same match, which somehow made the handball more famous, not less. It is the rare comedy foul that decided a World Cup quarterfinal and generated its own catchphrase.
Match: Argentina vs England, 1986 WC quarterfinal · Result: goal stood, Argentina won 2-1 · Sequel: scored 'Goal of the Century' four minutes later
- The face-clutch
Rivaldo's dive vs Turkey
This ranks second because the gap between contact and reaction is the widest on the list, and it drew a real punishment. Turkey were down to ten men and chasing a stoppage-time equalizer at the 2002 World Cup when Hakan Unsal, killing time at a corner, kicked the ball toward Rivaldo. It struck him on the thigh. Rivaldo collapsed clutching his face as if he'd been hit across the jaw, and Unsal was shown a second yellow and sent off.
Replays exposed the mismatch within minutes. FIFA later fined Rivaldo 11,500 Swiss francs (about $7,000) for simulation — a rare instance of retroactive punishment for a dive — though the red card itself was never reversed. If you want the mechanics behind moments like this, see why do soccer players flop.
Match: Brazil vs Turkey, 2002 WC group stage · Contact: ball to the thigh · Punishment: Unsal sent off; Rivaldo fined ~$7,000
- The professional foul
Luis Suarez's goal-line handball
Suarez ranks just below Maradona because the handball was as deliberate but the celebration was even more shameless. With the 2010 quarterfinal tied in the final minute of extra time, Ghana's Dominic Adiyiah headed toward an empty net and Suarez, standing on the line, punched it away with both hands. He was sent off, Ghana got the penalty — and Asamoah Gyan smashed it off the crossbar.
Uruguay won the shootout that followed. Suarez, watching from the tunnel mouth, openly celebrated as Gyan's spot-kick sailed over, which is what elevates this from a cynical foul to a comedy one: he turned getting caught into a victory dance.
Match: Uruguay vs Ghana, 2010 WC quarterfinal · Outcome: Suarez sent off; Gyan hit the bar · Result: Uruguay won on penalties
- The double touch
Thierry Henry's Hand of Gaul
Henry's handball edits a World Cup qualification, which is why it clears the club-level entries below it. In the second leg of France's 2009 World Cup playoff against the Republic of Ireland, Henry controlled a loose ball with two visible touches of his hand before crossing for William Gallas to head the goal that sent France through. Referee Martin Hansson, without a clear angle, let it stand.
Ireland's FAI pushed for a replay that never came. The incident became one of the loudest arguments for goal-line and video technology, predating VAR by nearly a decade — an own-goal for the sport's officials as much as a punchline. For the people trying to catch these live, see our ranking of the best football referees of all time.
Match: France vs Ireland, 2009 WC playoff · Foul: two handball touches, uncalled · Stakes: sent France to the 2010 World Cup
- The theatrical tumble
Jurgen Klinsmann's somersault
Klinsmann earns his place because his reaction to a genuine foul was so oversized it produced a World Cup first. In the second half of the 1990 final, he went down under a reckless studs-up challenge from Argentina's Pedro Monzon with a full, rolling tumble. Monzon was shown a straight red — the first player ever sent off in a World Cup final.
Argentina finished with nine men after a second dismissal, and West Germany won 1-0. The tackle was real; the theater is what everyone remembers, and the tumble is still shown as a template dive decades later. It ranks below Henry's because the foul was actually a foul.
Match: West Germany vs Argentina, 1990 WC final · Milestone: Monzon = first red card in a WC final · Result: West Germany won 1-0
- The tragedy-comedy
Zidane's headbutt on Materazzi
This one lands on the list for the absurdity of the setting rather than any dive. In the 110th minute of the 2006 final, Zidane turned and drove his head into Marco Materazzi's chest after an exchange of words. Fourth official Massimo Busacca flagged it, referee Horacio Elizondo sent Zidane off, and Italy won the final on penalties.
It ranks here, mid-list, because the "comedy" is entirely in the framing: one of the game's great careers ending with a professional wrestling move in a World Cup final. The image of Zidane walking past the trophy on his way off is among the most reproduced in the tournament's history.
Match: France vs Italy, 2006 WC final · Minute: 110th · Result: Zidane sent off; Italy won on penalties
- The swan dive
Ashley Young's 'greatest dive'
Young's tumble is the purest contact-to-reaction mismatch at club level, which is why it outranks the two dives below it. In Manchester United's 2013 Champions League tie at Real Sociedad, Young cut into the box, felt the lightest tug from Markel Bergara, and launched into a full airborne collapse. Referee Nicola Rizzoli booked Bergara and pointed to the spot.
Robin van Persie then hit the penalty against the post, so the dive won nothing — which only sharpened the comedy. British media nicknamed it the "greatest dive of all time" for how wildly it outran the actual contact.
Match: Real Sociedad vs Man United, 2013 Champions League · Outcome: penalty won, then missed (hit the post) · Result: 0-0 draw
- The peek-a-boo
Busquets' finger-parting dive
Busquets ranks eighth on one piece of footage that is unique in the genre: it shows the calculation happening in real time. In the 2010 Champions League semifinal, he went down clutching his face after the faintest brush from Inter's Thiago Motta, who was shown a second yellow and sent off.
A broadcast camera then caught Busquets, still lying on the turf, briefly parting his fingers to check whether the referee had bought it. That single frame is why the clip lives in every "worst dives" compilation — most dives you infer; this one you can watch being audited by its own perpetrator.
Match: Barcelona vs Inter, 2010 CL semifinal · Contact: faint face brush · Outcome: Motta sent off
- The endurance record
Neymar's 14 minutes down
Neymar is lower because there is no single iconic frame — the comedy is cumulative. At the 2018 World Cup, Swiss broadcaster RTS timed how long he spent on the pitch across four matches and clocked it at nearly 14 minutes, including more than five minutes in the round-of-16 game against Mexico.
The figure went viral instantly and spawned memes and a widely shared KFC advert parody of the rolling. It followed Neymar through the rest of the tournament regardless of how legitimate any individual foul actually was — a reputation built by a stopwatch rather than a single moment.
Tournament: 2018 World Cup · Metric: ~13:50 across four games (RTS) · Peak: 5+ minutes vs Mexico
- The stealth handball
Luis Fabiano's double handball
Fabiano closes the list because it is the quietest entry — no fine, no red card, just a goal that should never have counted. In the 2010 group match against Ivory Coast, he controlled a high ball with one handball, then a second, before finishing past the keeper. Referee Stephane Lannoy, positioned behind the play, missed both touches.
Ivory Coast's protests went nowhere. It lacks the fame of Henry's or Suarez's handballs, but the sheer number of uncalled touches packed into one goal — two clear handballs in a single move — is what earns it a spot. For more of the sport's flashpoints, browse our full football and soccer coverage.
Match: Brazil vs Ivory Coast, 2010 WC group stage · Foul: two handballs, both uncalled · Outcome: goal stood
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- Diego Maradona's Hand of God
- Rivaldo's dive vs Turkey
- Luis Suarez's goal-line handball
- Thierry Henry's Hand of Gaul
- Jurgen Klinsmann's somersault
- Zidane's headbutt on Materazzi
- Ashley Young's 'greatest dive'
- Busquets' finger-parting dive
- Neymar's 14 minutes down
- Luis Fabiano's double handball
Audience ranking
How everyone ranked them
Built from reader rankings using position-based points.
A ball grazes a shin and a grown man collapses like he’s been shot. That’s the whole joke, and football has been telling it for as long as the game has existed. Somewhere between the tackle and the replay, a gap opens up between what happened and how someone reacted to it — and that gap is where every classic comedy foul lives, from World Cup finals down to Sunday League pitches. The ten cards above are ranked; the sections below explain how we sorted them and how the game actually polices this stuff.
How We Ranked Them
Three tests decided the order. First, reach: how widely each incident was seen and replayed. Second, consequence: what it actually changed on the scoreboard or in a tournament. Third, the mismatch: how large the gap was between the real contact and the reaction to it.
World Cup finals and knockout matches sit above group-stage and club incidents for that reason, and moments with a concrete result — a red card, a disallowed goal, a nation eliminated — rank above ones that were funny but forgotten by full time. Fame alone isn’t enough; Neymar’s 14 minutes went viral but changed nothing, so it sits below handballs and dives that flipped a result.
Cheating vs Diving vs Pratfall
Not every entry is the same kind of foul, and the differences matter for where they land. Maradona, Suarez, Henry and Luis Fabiano committed handballs — deliberate cheating that the officials missed. Rivaldo, Klinsmann, Young and Busquets committed simulation, exaggerating or inventing contact to con a referee. Zidane’s headbutt is neither; it’s on the list purely for the absurd contrast between the act and the stage.
That split is why a blatant handball that decides a knockout tie tends to outrank a theatrical flop that wins nothing — the cheating changed a result, the flop just entertained.
At a Glance: What Each Foul Changed
| Rank | Incident | Type | What it changed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maradona’s Hand of God | Handball | Goal stood; Argentina won the quarterfinal |
| 2 | Rivaldo’s face-clutch | Dive | Unsal sent off; Rivaldo fined ~$7,000 |
| 3 | Suarez’s goal-line save | Handball | Sent off, but Ghana missed the penalty |
| 4 | Henry’s Hand of Gaul | Handball | Sent France to the 2010 World Cup |
| 5 | Klinsmann’s tumble | Dive | Monzon: first red card in a WC final |
| 6 | Zidane’s headbutt | Violent conduct | Sent off in the final; Italy won on pens |
| 7 | Ashley Young’s swan dive | Dive | Penalty won, then missed |
| 8 | Busquets’ peek-a-boo | Dive | Motta sent off |
| 9 | Neymar’s 14 minutes | Time-wasting | Nothing — pure viral notoriety |
| 10 | Luis Fabiano’s double handball | Handball | Uncalled goal stood |
How the Rules Try to Catch It
Under IFAB’s Law 12, simulation is unsporting behavior and earns a yellow card, while a deliberate handball that denies a goal or a clear chance can bring a red. The trouble is timing: referees have one live angle and a fraction of a second, which is exactly why Bin Nasser missed Maradona’s fist and Lannoy missed Fabiano’s two touches.
Video review changed the math. Several goals on this list — Henry’s cross, Fabiano’s finish — would likely be overturned today, and referees now book players for going down without contact. But light-contact dives remain a judgment call, so the genre has evolved rather than ended. For more on the psychology of the flop, read why do soccer players flop, and for the officials on the other side of it, see the best football referees of all time.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most famous comedy foul in football history?+
Diego Maradona's Hand of God against England at the 1986 World Cup is the most famous. He punched the ball into the net, the referee missed it, the goal stood, and he later joked it came partly from the head of Maradona and partly from the hand of God. Luis Suarez's goal-line handball against Ghana in 2010 and Rivaldo's face-clutching dive against Turkey in 2002 are usually ranked just behind it.
How much was Rivaldo actually fined for his dive against Turkey?+
FIFA fined Rivaldo 11,500 Swiss francs, roughly 7,000 US dollars at the time, for simulation after the 2002 World Cup. The ball had struck him on the thigh at a corner, yet he collapsed clutching his face, and Turkey's Hakan Unsal was sent off. It was one of football's first retroactive punishments for diving, but the red card shown to Unsal was never overturned, so the dive still worked.
How long did Neymar actually spend on the ground at the 2018 World Cup?+
Swiss broadcaster RTS timed it at close to 14 minutes, about 13 minutes and 50 seconds, across Brazil's first four matches. The single biggest chunk was over five minutes in the round-of-16 win against Mexico, after Miguel Layun stepped on his ankle. The number went viral, inspired memes and a KFC advert parody, and shadowed Neymar for the rest of the tournament regardless of whether any given foul was real.
Is diving, or simulation, actually a punishable offense in football?+
Yes. Under IFAB's Laws of the Game, Law 12 treats simulation as unsporting behavior and calls for a yellow card. Video review has made it easier to catch since becoming standard at the World Cup and in most major leagues, and referees can now book players for going down without contact. Enforcement still varies by official and competition, which is why theatrical dives keep slipping through in big matches.
Why did Klinsmann's tumble matter if Monzon's tackle was a real foul?+
Because the challenge and the reaction were different sizes. Pedro Monzon's studs-up lunge in the 1990 World Cup final was a genuine red-card foul, but Klinsmann's rolling, full-body tumble made it look even worse and became the lasting image. Monzon was the first player ever sent off in a World Cup final, Argentina finished with nine men, and West Germany won 1-0. The foul was real; the theater is what people replay.
Have video reviews stopped comedy fouls and dives from happening?+
Not entirely. Video review catches more clear handballs and obvious dives than referees once did, and several goals like Henry's or Suarez's might be overturned today. But simulation with light contact is a judgment call, and players have adapted by seeking the smallest legitimate touch before going down. Reviews have reduced the blatant, match-changing cheats more than the theatrical flops, so the comedy has shifted rather than disappeared.
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