6 of Football's Funniest Faux Pas: When Professionals Get It Wrong

Premier League players are considered world-class athletes, the peak of human skill and conditioning. But they are still human — and all of us are prone to missteps in our daily lives. These are some of the funniest missteps in the footy world.

Let’s discuss the moments iconic moments where players got it wrong and embarrassed themselves in a lighthearted manner.

6 Funnies Faux Pas:

1. Gerrard Slip: In one of the most heart-wrenching events for Liverpool fans (and iconic for rivals of the team), the 2014 season race was lost by a fateful slip by their captain that would cost them a chance to win their first Premier League title in club history.

The Reds were the favourites to lift the title. In one of their last games, they faced Chelsea in a must-win home game. Disaster struck at the last minute of the first half when Gerrard slipped and let Demba Ba mount an undefended counterattack, putting the Reds at a 1-0 deficit.

The error eventually collapsed the team who lost 2-0 against Chelsea, and carried over their bad luck in their next game. Manchester City was victorious, winning the title over Liverpool by two points.

In a sad swan song, Gerrard would have ended his career with at least one Premier League trophy if not for the fateful slip.

2. Jinxed by Kevin Keegan: Our next entry comes in the following season in the form of a managerial rivalry story. Sir Alex Ferguson is rightfully a legend in Premier League history with his 13 division titles, however, one of his iconic wins was when baited Kevin Keegan of Newcastle United.

Trailing the Magpies 12 points who were top of the table, the Red Devils legend tactician accused other teams of not giving much effort into beating the league leaders, something that made Keegan tick. The ensuing mind games resulted in one of the most memorable rants in Premier League history.

“I've kept really quiet, but I'll tell you something, he went down in my estimation when he said that. We have not resorted to that, but I'll tell you, you can tell him now if you're watching it, we're still fighting for this title, and he's got to go to Middlesbrough and get something, and... and... I'll tell you, honestly, I will love it if we beat them, love it!”

The tricks worked as the Toons fumbled their lead, and lost the trophy to United who won the league by four points.

3. Loris Karius Fumbles: The 2018 UEFA Champions League final between Liverpool and Real Madrid is remembered for Loris Karius’s devastating mistakes that cost Liverpool dearly. The German goalkeeper made two critical errors: first, he threw the ball directly at Karim Benzema, who intercepted it to score, and later fumbled a long-range shot from Gareth Bale into the net.

These blunders contributed to Liverpool’s 3-1 defeat, leaving fans heartbroken. Karius later revealed he had suffered a concussion during the match, but the mishaps remain a painful chapter in Liverpool’s history.

4. Trick Shot Own Goal?: A back-heel shot is one of the most beautiful goals you can do as a football player, but to do it in your own goal is a very funny mistake.

This is what happened to not just one, but two professional players. Former Crystal Palace defender Tony Popovic shot the beautiful arc to his net in their match against Portsmouth in 2004. Collin Quaner also committed the unfortunate own goal for VfR Aalen in their 4-2 loss to VfL Bochum in Bundesliga 2.

5. Messi Missed Penalty Kick: The GOAT is one of the people who you can forgive for missing a penalty kick. He has won everything after all — a World Cup, Champion League, Copa America, La Liga, Ligue 1, and many more — but he has one infamous penalty kick miss that everyone won’t forget.

In the 2016 Copa América Centenario final, Lionel Messi faced a pivotal moment when Argentina was awarded a penalty against Chile. Stepping up to take the kick, Messi shockingly sent the ball soaring over the crossbar, missing a crucial chance to put Argentina ahead. The match eventually went to a penalty shootout, where Messi scored, but Argentina lost 4-2. The miss added to Messi’s heartbreak in the international finals, a narrative that would only be broken years later when he finally led Argentina to Copa América glory in 2021.

6. Aster Vranckx Point Blank: If the fifth entry had a keeper in the goal, this last entry will make you shudder at how the player misses an open goal.

There have been a lot of iconic open goal misses, runaway blunders, and pressured players in the brightest moments. None are as awful as Aster Vranckx’s awful miss in Mechelen's 1-0 loss to KV Oostende in the Belgium first division in 2020.

The 17-year-old chested the ball and shot it — fumbling and falling to the bar — and ultimately losing the open goal to a hounding defender. That is a lesson the youngster will surely not forget.

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