Football's Worst Ever Cheating Divers
11. Michael Owen
Back in 1998, the best thing since sliced bread had a name and he came from Liverpool. Michael Owen burst onto the Premier League and international scenes with remarkable speed, arriving as a fully-formed talent who could and should have taken every English goal-scoring record for his own.
History has seen a different development - though Owen would probably have us all believe he is actually still a top-class player - but for a while there, he was England's darling. He was never more loved than when playing against Argentina - a team he won two penalties against at separate World Cups - but it turns out those penalties weren't wholly warranted.
Speaking in October when the perpetual debate regarding diving kicked off again, Owen confessed he made the most of the situation:
I have been guilty as well, I played at the 1998 World Cup against Argentina and I was running flat out, got a nudge, went down. Could I have stayed up? Yes, probably. Then four years later you gave me a penalty again against Argentina. Again, I could have stayed on my feet. The defenders caught me and I did have a decent gash down my shin from it but I could have stayed up.
Not so much deception as just reinforcing the claim, then. Don't worry Argentina fans - it's highly unlikely that Owen will be winning any penalties against your team in future internationals. After all, it's extremely difficult to do so from the bench, in Stoke.