5 heart-warming moments of sportsmanship in football in recent times
Sportsmanship, be it in any sport, is cherished because of its rarity. In football, diving and cheating is extremely common, which makes those seldom moments of respect and sportsmanship ones to remember.
Paolo Di Canio stopping play when the opposing keeper was injured, Ruud Fuller giving the opponents a shoulder to cry on after getting relegated, and so on, are some iconic moments displaying fair play.
There were a few such heartwarming incidents in the last year as well, making it clear why football is called 'the beautiful game'. Let's have a look at few such heartening episodes in recent times:
#5 Messi asks referee not to give a free kick after going down
What's there to be said about Lionel Messi? Footballer extraordinaire, Messi is enthralling to watch when he is on the ball. It was another day at the office for Leo on the 10th of December, 2016 against Osasuna - where he scored twice, with the second goal displaying vintage Messi skills, humiliating four defenders before a sublime finish.
However, he just gave football fans more reasons to respect and love him with a brief moment of sportsmanship during the match. Cameras showed Messi asking the referee not to give a free kick after he went down too easily without enough contact.
It was a small and noble act on the football field, which is so very rare in this era when diving is prevalent. A footballing phenomenon and a decent bloke on top of it.